Coming Home
by Evelyn CMB
Summary: Nine years after Skeletor sends He-Man to the Crossroads of the Universe, Adam returns home to find life has moved on without him: friends have died, a new heir had to be found, and his once-best friend seems to despise him. Based loosely on "Quest for He-Man," AU.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hi everyone! Life sort of imploded on me shortly after I posted my last story, and I never got to go write that novel that was floating around in my mind. But the writing bug isn't totally dead, and I need a bit of distraction right now. So I'm posting something I've had around for quite a while. Be forewarned: it's not done, and my life is not conducive to writing right now, so it's going to be slow posting, in really short bursts. But you know I'll eventually finish it. Oh, and this has nothing to do with my other stories, as you'll see. And so we begin._

* * *

_Teela_

It was, by far, the worst time of my life. Ever.

He-Man had been sent to another world by Skeletor. The Sorceress didn't know where, and that stupid Cosmic Enforcer, Zodac, refused to help. But while I, along with all of Eternia, was reeling from that news, we were hit with another loss. Apparently, Adam had gone after him, and he was lost as well. The Sorceress didn't explain how Adam had managed to follow He-Man, or if rather perhaps he simply hoped to find him—she was really vague about what was going on, except to say that if we found one, we'd find both.

She spent days doing nothing else but searching. I know, because I waited in Castle Grayskull for the first few days, refusing to leave except when Skeletor threatened the palace. I kept hoping against hope that she would find them—or at least Adam. Because I needed him back. I never did tell her why. I never told anyone what happened, or why I was so desperate for him to return. I always did wonder if she knew, though. She always looked so sad when she looked at me.

Eventually I had to come to the realization that neither one of them were ever coming back. And that understanding had to come sooner rather than later. For four desperate weeks I prayed, and cried, and hoped, and raged against the Ancients for putting me through this, for letting both Adam and He-Man disappear—but especially Adam. At the end of those four weeks, I accepted it as fact, that they were never coming back. And with that belief, I made an irrevocable decision that would shape my life.


	2. Chapter 1: Ranger

_Thanks for warm welcome back! Hope this story doesn't disappoint. Oh yeah...I don't own MOTU. Just sayin'...you know, in case you thought I might. _

* * *

_Ranger_

I guess it was a good place to be, Draedus. I just wish that I hadn't been there for so long. If you've never suffered memory loss, I'm not sure I can describe it to you…but I'll try. It's like when someone asks you a question, and you have the answer, but sometime between when you think of the answer and when you open your mouth, the answer disappears and your mind goes blank. I knew my memories were there. I knew I had a home, and I thought I might even have people who loved me…somewhere out there, somewhere other than Draedus. But trying to remember them was like looking at a mountain in a dense fog—you know it's there, but you can't see it.

Like I said, I was on Draedus a long time. After we defeated the evil rabbit-like humanoid Plundor-no, I'm not kidding, it really was furry with rabbit ears and big teeth and everything-Gleedal-this one a bird-like humanoid, on the side of good-offered me a position as head of her security for the kingdom. It seemed to fit, somehow, and I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I took it. I had a small home, plenty of friends, and I became good friends with Gleedal's son, Wheedal—sort of a stand-in father, since his own had died. In fact, Wheedal's the one who gave me my name, Ranger. Gleedal had called me "Stranger," "Muscle Man," and even "Hero." Wheedal liked Stranger, but couldn't pronounce it. So Ranger I became.

Yet I didn't really fit in on Draedus. Everything that moved was covered in fur or fluff. I was the only furless, featherless creature on the planet.

Time passed slowly at first. Gleedal insisted I stay in her palace, but at first I often went out on long trips, searching for something familiar. Funny thing was, it was the process of getting ready for a trip and traveling for days on end that felt familiar. The land remained foreign to me. It seemed that the more I focused on trying to figure out where I came from and who I was, the more unsettled I became. I began traveling less, and eventually, I stopped trying to remember altogether. Truth be told, I don't know how long it was before I stopped trying. It wasn't a conscious decision. It just sort of happened.

But on this particular day, something happened that changed that.

I was out doing a normal patrol when I came upon an area that seemed vaguely familiar. I got really excited until I realized it was where Gleedal and I had first met—which was as far back as I could remember. My life before meeting her was an absolute blank. Of course, this area had changed a lot since that time. Back then it was dead and barren. Now it actually had some growth around, flowers and bushes. I saw the glint of metal in one of the bushes. Curious, I went over to investigate, and found a sword. I remembered then that I did have a sword in my hand when I first found myself on this world, my memory gone. I still didn't know why I had that sword in my hand that day, but I logically decided that it might be a link to my past. So I carefully pulled it out of the bush, expecting it to be rusted—but it wasn't. It was as shiny and smooth as I remembered. It also felt as if it were made for me, and somehow, I felt as if I had been reunited with an old friend. My breath quickened, then I could feel my face flush with embarrassment. I took a quick look around, feeling foolish for having such an emotional reaction to a metal object.

I took it with me as I continued my patrol—but for a reason I didn't understand, I carried it instead of sheathing it in the scabbard on my back that had remained empty all these years.


	3. Chapter 2: Ranger

_Ranger_

A couple of hours later, I sat on a tree stump, staring at the sword that was still in my hand. It seemed to be growing warm, and I kept hearing a whisper in the back of my mind, as if I was supposed to _do_ something with the sword. Frankly, it was driving me nuts, but I couldn't seem to convince myself to put down the silly thing. So I was glad of a distraction when Wheedal ran over with his mask in hand. There was a celebration that night, in honor of overthrowing Plundor exactly six years ago.

"What do you think?" Wheedal asked me excitedly, his red feathers quivering as he awaited my reply. I think his mask was supposed to be of one of the robots we destroyed, but that's not what it looked like. It was a huge gray oval with black holes for eyes. He had added fangs, I suppose to increase its creepiness factor.

I pretended to shudder. "That's even more frightening than the robots we fought!" I teased him. "What exactly is that supposed to be, some sort of gray skull?"

Wheedle's answer was lost on me. The moment I said "gray skull," the voice that had been whispering in my mind grew louder, and the sword felt as if it were humming in my hand, begging me to do something with it.

I stared at the sword, concentrating because I couldn't help it, then repeated the words that were suddenly clear in my head. "By the power of Grayskull?" It was definitely a question. But there was no question of what happened next. I felt a rush of invigorating power, and my arm rose of its own accord as the air around me suddenly seemed charged with lightning. Then I lowered the sword, as if out of habit, grabbed it with my other hand and called out, "I have the power!"

Maybe it all should have felt foolish, but it didn't. It felt familiar and wonderful, and as I lowered my arms and the glow around me faded, everything came flooding back to me. '_I am He-Man. Prince Adam._ _My home is on Eternia. I am Eternia's protector, Grayskull's defender.'_

As those thoughts tumbled through my mind, so did the realization that I had been away for years- only the Ancients knew how many years had passed on Eternia. I won't write down the curses almost came out of my mouth at that thought—the only reason I didn't speak them was because Wheedal was there—but I will say that the sudden combination of worry and joy that hit me was like a physical blow to my stomach. My knees gave out and I collapsed back down on the tree stump, dazed.

Just then, Wheedal grabbed my hand, jumping up and down. "Oh, wow, that was awesome, Ranger! Do it again!"

My tumbling emotions made it hard to speak. I grappled with them for a full moment, trying to hold back the avalanche overwhelming me. Before I found my voice to answer him, I heard footsteps. I looked up to see Gleedal approaching hesitantly, her eyes not on me but on something behind me. I turned, and there was a familiar dimensional portal. Relief hit me hard; my throat closed up, and my eyes began to burn. I had a way home.

Swallowing hard, I turned back to Wheedal. "My name's He-Man, Wheedal." I scarcely recognized my own voice, I was so choked up.

"You got your memory back!" he said excitedly, clicking his beak together rapidly.

"Yes," I said, looking back up at Gleedal. "But that means I have to go home now." Both Gleedal's and Wheedal's faces fell.

"No!" Wheedal protested, squinting his eyes up tight. I could tell he was ready to fight this, even though I had long warned him that something like this could happen someday—I have to admit, though, even I never expected it to happen so fast or so dramatically.

"That gate is the way to my home," I explained gently. "I'm needed there."

"Couldn't you wait just a bit, give us a chance to get used to the idea?" Gleedal suggested hopefully, with a meaningful glance at Wheedal.

I shook my head. "I have no idea how long this gate will last. I have to go right away. I'm sorry."

She sighed but nodded. "We understand, Rang-I mean, He-Man. But we'll miss you."

Wheedal's earlier excitement was gone completely. He sniffed, and a tear hit the ground. My heart tore in two. Of all the friends I had to leave behind, he was going to be the hardest. Thankful I was at least getting to say goodbye, I kneeled down next to him. "Take good care of your mom, okay?"

Wheedal nodded. "Will we ever see you again?" he asked in a soft, broken voice.

"I don't know, buddy," I answered honestly. I wished I could lie to him, but that's something I try to avoid—which with my secret identity as He-Man, isn't easy. "But you know what?"

"What?" He barely looked at me, but I could see his black eyes were full of tears.

"Now that I have my memory back, I will always remember you in here," -I pointed to my head- "and in here." I pointed to my heart. "Are you going to remember me?"

He sniffled again and nodded.

"Then we'll always be a part of each other, Wheedal," I told him. I knew it sounded a little corny, but it was all I had to offer. "I love you. The distance between us won't change that. Got it?"

He nodded again, and I gave him a hug. After hesitating a minute, he threw his thin arms around me. "I love you too, Ranger."

The gate made a strange noise; I knew what that meant. I gave Wheedal one last squeeze, then stood up. "The gate is about to break up. I have to go."

Gleedal nodded and put her hands on Wheedal's shoulders. I took a deep breath and stepped through the gate, to go back _home._


	4. Chapter 3: Adam

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. As for any reviews potentially upsetting me...I've had far worse than that. So I thank you all for your support, but understanding this issue is much larger than one comment made on my story, I'm going to just leave it at that. _

I stepped into Grayskull's dim interior, and the gate behind me faded almost immediately. My eyes darted around and came to rest on the Sorceress. A huge grin split my face nearly in two. "Sorceress!"

"He-Man!" She looked unsteady on her feet and fairly fell into my arms. She must have spent a great deal of energy trying to contact me and in creating that portal. I lifted her and twirled her around, I was so excited to be back on Eternia.

"You found me!" I exclaimed.

"He-Man, it is so good to see you again!" she said with that dear, familiar smile. "I feared I would never find you!"

I set her down and regarded her more somberly now, with a mixture of gratitude and anxiety. "I owe you one, Sorceress. Without you, I would have been lost to Eternia forever." I frowned as I tried to recall exactly what had happened, how I had ended up on Draedus. "Sorceress, what did happen? How did I get there?"

She tilted her head to the side inquisitively. "Skeletor captured you in a forcefield and erased your memory with a spell," she replied slowly. "He-Man, what's the last thing you remember on Eternia?"

I shook my head, feeling as if I were trying to wade through the Tar Swamp in my mind. "I-I'm not sure. It's been so long...I remember fighting some monster..." I drew out the words as the events slowly came to mind. "Something to do with Orko. A demon, named Daimar.." My frown deepened. "I...I think that's the last major thing I remember."

The Sorceress gained an endearing little furrow in her brow. It reminded me of Teela. "That was nearly a month before you disappeared. You don't remember anything after that?"

My looked around, as if I would find the answer on Grayskull's stone walls. Finally, I shook my head again, frustrated. "No."

The Sorceress laid a gentle hand on my arm. "Do not fret, He-Man. It may be a natural side effect of the spell. It will most likely resolve itself over the next few weeks."

I blew out a breath, reminding myself that missing a month compared to the twenty years I had lost before was nothing. "I know." She continued to stare at me and I shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"Well…" She paused, and I cocked my head curiously, wondering what could have her so hesitant. "What of the world you settled on? Have we taken you from a family, He-Man?"

I shook my head quickly, touched that she was so worried about my happiness. "Not in the way you mean," I replied. "There was a boy there I had sort of taken under my wing, so to speak," –I couldn't help the twitch at the corners of my mouth at that- "but I had no family." I frowned a bit. "But what has happened here? Are my parents all right? What about Duncan and Teela? Cringer? Orko?"

She laughed lightly, clearly understanding my concerns all too well. "I will be glad to tell you about all of them, He-Man, but for now, I think you ought to revert to Prince Adam again."

I chuckled. "I almost forgot." I unsheathed my sword, but hesitated as another urgent question came to mind. "How long have I been gone, Sorceress?" I asked, lowering the sword.

She swallowed hard, but met my gaze directly, sympathy in her eyes. "Nine years, He-Man."

"Nine years?" I repeated in shock. Surely it hadn't been that long. Had I really missed almost a decade of my life? My friends, my family, were all going to be nine years older than what I remembered. As was I. "Nine years?" I said again, in a whisper this time. "By the grace of Eternia."

"He-Man," she said softly. I turned dazed eyes to her and she motioned to my sword. "You have not been Prince Adam in nine years. Since no guardian of Grayskull has ever spent this much time in their altered form, I cannot say for sure how you will feel once you relinquish the power."

"I understand," I said, though in truth my mind was still reeling with how much time had passed. Finally I shook my head slightly and raised my sword. "Let the power return!"

As the power left me, a wave of weakness passed over me. I stumbled backwards a step, trying to catch my balance, but I caught an uneven part of the floor, which caused my leg to crumple under me. The sword clattered to the ground. Strong hands grabbed hold of my shoulders and eased me down gently, and a familiar face appeared in front of my darkening vision.

"Hello, Duncan," I mumbled weakly. Then the blackness became complete.

I must have only been out a minute or so. I came to kind of slowly, their voices gradually starting to make sense.

"Remember, he had been He-Man for nine years, Duncan. His body is not used to being without the magic of Grayskull."

"Are you saying he might go through some sort of withdrawal?" Duncan asked, his horror at that thought clear to me even through my fuzzy thinking.

I opened my eyes to see the Sorceress raised her hands in a helpless gesture. "I do not think so, at least not in the way you mean. He will not crave the power. His body simply needs to adjust to not having it. While He-Man's body has been used each day, Prince Adam's body has not. The magic restored him to his original condition, including his strength, but to Adam, it may feel unusually weak."

"Thanks for clearing that up," I said faintly, my own voice unfamiliar. They looked down and I did the best imitation of a grin that I could manage. "Good to see you, Duncan. Give me a hand up?" I held up a slightly shaky hand. Duncan hesitated a second, then grasped my forearm and hauled me to my feet. My other hand went quickly to his shoulder until I had regained my balance. Then I looked him in the eye and grinned. For a moment, it was as if the last nine years had not existed.

"Ancients, but it's good to see you lad," Duncan said with heartfelt emotion, the stupid grin on his face matching my own.

"It's good to be seen," I replied, chuckling a bit. "How is everyone?" I grew more serious as I looked from him to the Sorceress and back again. They were both tense. I could still read them, as if we had just parted yesterday. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

The Sorceress delayed the inevitable for a moment, inviting us to sit and offering us something to eat. I must have lit up like a firework.

"I haven't had meat in nine years," I admitted wistfully.

"Then your system won't be used to it," the Sorceress warned.

I grinned cheekily. "Sure it will. Grayskull's power reverted me back to how I was nine years ago, isn't that what you said?"

The Sorceress' mouth dropped open a fraction, then she smirked, shaking her head slightly, and waved her hand, producing a luscious-looking platter of my favorites. I dug in with enthusiasm, closing my eyes after my first bite.

When I opened my eyes, Duncan's brow furrowed. "So does that mean it's as if the last nine years didn't happen for Adam? I noticed he doesn't look any older."

Alarm shot through me at that idea, but the Sorceress shook her head. "He's just aging well, Duncan," she teased. "Unlike you."

He growled at her, scowling darkly, as I laughed. He reached up and scratched at his mustache, and I eyed him critically. He did have a few more wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, and his skin was getting a bit leathery looking. There were even some gray hairs sneaking in here and there. But he didn't look that old.

"Oh Duncan, I'm only teasing," the Sorceress laughed at him. That only made him scowl more, and I couldn't help myself; I laughed harder.

"Ancients, but I missed you two," I said, shaking my head. My smile faded slowly. "Now what's going on?"

"Well first of all, almost everyone is fine," Duncan said briskly. He must have seen the immediate question in my eyes, because he answered it without pausing, his tone somber. "We've lost a lot of good men to Skeletor's forces over the years."

I swallowed hard. "Dead?"

Duncan nodded as he named some of the soldiers I had known. I was silent for a moment, mourning the loss of men and women who had protected our kingdom, some of them people I had grown up with. Then I looked at Duncan and knew that whatever was bugging him, he thought I was going to be even more upset over it than I was over the deaths of these good people. "There's more, isn't there?"

He nodded, not bothering to deny it. The Sorceress was watching, seemingly as serene as ever, but I could tell she was nervous as well. "The thing is, Adam…well, you're not an only child anymore."


	5. Chapter 4: Adam

Now obviously I hadn't had a lot of time to reflect on things. I had regained my memory less than an hour ago, for Ancients' sake. I was still getting used to the sound of my own voice after being He-Man for so many years.

Still, I'm sure that on some subconscious level, my mind had been running through all the possible tragedies that might have occurred during the nine years I was gone. Skeletor could have taken over the palace. One or even both of my parents could have died. Teela could have become the Sorceress—that in itself wouldn't be a tragedy, of course, but it most likely would have meant that the Sorceress I knew had died. Orko might have moved back to Trolla. There might be war between some of the kingdoms.

However, I am absolutely positive that this never even entered my mind on any level. I'm 29, for Schminivat's sake. The last thing I expected to find out was that I now had a brother or sister.

I couldn't do anything but stare at Duncan, my mouth twitching as if to smile as I tried to assimilate what he had said. "I'm not?" I finally managed.

Duncan shook his head and told me how there had been an invasion by an army known as the Horde when I was just a baby. He explained that the leader, Hordak, and his pupil, who just happened to be Skeletor, tried to kidnap both me and my twin sister, Adora—and succeeded in taking Adora. The Sorceress picked up the story, showing me what happened in the view screen, and explained how, in an effort to prevent me from misusing the power of Grayskull to gain revenge, she had wiped out the memories of Adora and the Horde from all of Eternia. No one but she, Duncan, and my parents ever even knew Adora existed.

I was stunned. Really, there is no other word for it. I couldn't think through it, couldn't focus on what it meant. All I could do was sit there and listen. I didn't even touch the rest of my food as the Sorceress and Duncan went on.

"The Sorceress located Adora while she was searching for you," Duncan said. "She sent me to the planet Etheria, with Adora's sword, to locate her."

"Her sword?" I interrupted.

"Yes," the Sorceress answered, smiling brightly. "You no longer bear the burden of being Grayskull's champion alone, Adam. Adora is She-Ra, the second Champion of Grayskull."

Okay, right now this was sounding pretty darn good, I have to admit. I wouldn't have to turn and run to become He-Man every time there was trouble now. And maybe I could finally earn some respect from my father and Teela. I was starting to like Adora, and I hadn't even met her.

"Adora was enslaved to the Horde through an evil spell," Duncan continued. "Her sword helped her break it, and she spent the next four years leading a rebellion that eventually drove the Horde off of Etheria. When that happened, she returned home for good, about a year and a half ago."

"Wow," I said. I know, it wasn't the most intelligent statement. But I was feeling overwhelmed. Of course, that was nothing compared to what came next.

"There's more," Duncan said uneasily. One corner of his mouth was tucked in as he stared at me, no doubt gauging how I was doing. His next words confirmed it. "But maybe we should wait until later to talk about it. I think you've-"

"No," I interrupted again. "I need to know what's going on, Duncan."

He sighed, but didn't argue, thankfully. "Your parents were worried about you from the beginning, Adam. Your father contacted every wizard and sorceress on Eternia to enlist their aid in searching the universe, but without understanding your connection to Grayskull's power, they could do very little. Your mother visited here almost every day to read through the books in the library, hoping to find a clue to where you had gone. Then Randor rallied the Masters and attacked Snake Mountain, determined to force Skeletor to tell us where he had sent He-Man, hoping it would lead us to you as well."

My eyes couldn't open any wider, and I suddenly realized my mouth was hanging open. I closed it, swallowed, then asked, "You're kidding, right?"

Duncan shook his head, his eyes haunted. "I wish I were. It was a horrendous battle. We're lucky no one was killed. And it was all for naught, because Skeletor didn't know where he had sent you either—he knew you went to the Crossroads of the Universe, but had no idea where He-Man wound up. Unfortunately, our attack made him suspicious about your connection to He-Man, for a while at least. He seemed to drop it after a while, possibly because of Grayskull's magic."

I frowned. I didn't like the sound of that.

"There is more, Adam. After you had been missing for two years, your parents came under tremendous pressure to produce another heir," the Sorceress added quietly. "By the time we found Adora, Queen Marlena was two months' pregnant."

I was suddenly having trouble breathing. In a span of less than an hour, I had gone from believing myself to be an only child, to finding out that my parents had kept a huge, really important secret from me and that I had a twin sister, to this. "My mother had another child?" I asked in a dull voice—not because I was jealous, but because I was so overwhelmed I was numb.

"A boy they named Abraham," Duncan confirmed. "He'll be five next month. Adam." He leaned forward, his eyes burning into mine with an almost frightening intensity. "They have prayed for your return every single day, with every breath they have taken. Don't doubt that they love you. Don't think they've replaced you."

"I don't," I answered softly, and it was the truth. I knew my parents better than that. They were warm, loving people, even if my father could be hard-headed at times. And in thinking about them, there was only one thing I wanted to do. I looked back at Duncan, wondering if he could see the longing in my eyes. "I want to go home, Duncan."

"Don't you think you should rest here tonight?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. "You've had a lot of shocks in the last two hours."

"I know," I agreed, "but I just want to see my parents." I stood, frowning at how hard the action was. Duncan noticed, of course.

"You're sure?" he asked.

I nodded decisively. "Let's go."

We bid the Sorceress good-bye and loaded into the wind raider—which had changed a lot in the last nine years. The wings were larger, sturdier, and the design was sleeker. "Very nice, Duncan," I complimented him as I settled into the passenger's seat and buckled in.

"Thank you," he responded. He threw me a warning glance. "Don't go joyriding in it before I get a chance to give you a lesson. Some of the controls are very different."

I leaned back and smirked. "I'm sure Teela will be happy to show me how it works," I joked. Duncan averted his eyes, but I caught the look of sorrow on his face before he turned away completely. Fear sliced through my heart as I recalled how he had said everyone else was "mostly well." "Duncan? Is something wrong with Teela?"

He started the engines and took off almost immediately. I watched with worried eyes as he swallowed several times in a row before answering. "Teela is not the same person you left behind," he finally managed to say, his voice so low I had to strain to hear him. "Not long after you disappeared, she began getting…emotional. She would never talk about what was wrong, but she just kept…getting worse. She finally resigned from her post just over five years ago."

"And my father accepted her resignation? Why? Where is she now? How could he let her resign?" I demanded, my heart pounding as the questions poured forth in a rush.

"He had no choice," Duncan answered heavily. "Whatever her problem was, she couldn't handle it. She began drinking, Adam."

"No way," I protested. "Teela would never-"

"But she did," he interrupted me, and I could see the pain in his face, hear it in his voice. My heart broke inside me. The timing was too coincidental; Teela's issue had to have something to do with my disappearance.

"Where is she now?" I asked again.

"She lives in a small town just outside the palace," he replied. He directed a sad smile my way. "I'm sure you'll see her today."

We lapsed into silence. It was all starting to prove to be too much, the stress of the last few hours. My eyes were burning, and not just from the wind whipping at my face. I couldn't believe Teela had changed so much. I closed my eyes, squeezing them tight against the tears. When I opened them, I spotted the palace skyline ahead of me. The tears did fall now; my heart was so full of emotion it was as if it had to come out somewhere. The palace still looked the same, at least from here. I felt an odd relief at that.

"Your mother's done some re-decorating, and they had to move your stuff so Abraham could be near them," Duncan said casually, almost as if he had read my mind. "But she had the staff put your things in the room on the other side of mine, exactly as it was."

Okay, that would be a bit weird, going into a room that wasn't mine but had my things in it in the same exact order. Still, after nine years, I figured I was lucky that they hadn't shoved all my things into storage somewhere.

"What did you tell everyone, anyway?" I asked suddenly.

"That you had tried to follow He-Man to save him, but that the spell Skeletor cast was so powerful it caught you up as well, and we had lost both of you," Duncan said frankly. "I wasn't worried about Skeletor figuring out anything; he's much too egotistical to challenge the idea that his spell was that powerful. And I figured you would have less explaining to do when you got back that way." He blew out a breath. "I never expected it to be this long."

I gazed at the palace. "Neither did I," I said softly.

One might think it was odd that Duncan had not even asked me about where I'd been or what had happened to me over the last nine years. I didn't see it that way. It was a credit to Duncan as my mentor and friend that he didn't push me about what had happened to me over the years. He knew I had enough to deal with, and would be running through explanations again and again over the next few days. His silence on my experience wasn't an expression of disinterest, as some might think, but of kindness, allowing me time and space to work through all of my emotions.

Duncan couldn't land the wind raider fast enough for me. He had ordered the hangar bay to be cleared before we even landed, and requested the king and queen be brought to the closest conference room. I deeply appreciated his thoughtfulness; I was anxious to see everyone, but there were definitely five foremost on my mind: my parents, Orko, Cringer…and of course Teela.

I fumbled with the seatbelt for a moment after we landed; between the new contraption, getting used to my own body again, and my eagerness, I couldn't seem to get my fingers to work right. Just as I was about to give up, it clicked apart, and I leapt out of the wind raider. My knees gave out and I went down to my hands, shaking my head at myself.

"You all right?" Duncan asked matter-of-factly, appearing at my side.

"Yeah," I said, standing with an effort. "Just still getting used to Eternia's gravity." I winked at him, and he nodded back, understanding I was just being careful of who might be listening in.

Duncan went ahead of me and opened the door to the conference room. My father whirled around, looking particularly irritated; he must have been called out of a meeting. He hated that. "Duncan, what's so impor-" He broke off as he caught sight of me. His entire body froze and his eyes widened.

My mother was sitting off to the right, knitting, and when Father went quiet she looked up at him, curious, then followed his gaze. The needles fell out of her hand onto the floor with a loud clatter.

Duncan stepped aside and I entered the room, tears already on my face. I didn't care. "Mother, Father," I choked out. Then I was in my father's arms without any consciousness of how I'd gotten there.

"Adam. By the Ancients, is it really you?" he asked in wonder, hugging me tight then pushing me back to stare at me.

"It's me, Father," I assured him several times. "It's really me."

I finally tore my gaze off of his and looked towards my mother. She had slid to her knees on the floor, her hands to her heart, sobbing, staring up at me in disbelief. "Adam. My dear, dear son," she gasped between her tears. "Oh, thank you God."

I made my way to her somehow and kneeled beside her, our arms going around each other in death-defying grips. Father dropped to his knees as well and wrapped us both in his arms. The three of us clung tightly to each other for several moments, the only sounds our broken breaths, half-finished sentences, and sniffles as we tried to stop the tears from falling. My father was the first to pull back. I have to admit I was a little shocked at the fact that his cheeks were just as wet as my mother's.

"I was starting to think we'd never see you again," he confessed roughly. His gaze shifted to Duncan. "I owe you double now, my friend."

Duncan's voice carried over from the door where he still stood. "The Sorceress found him, Sire. I simply gave him a ride home." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I take it this means He-Man has returned as well?" Mother asked in an odd tone. Father rose to his feet and gave us both a hand up.

Mentally shrugging, I nodded. "But let's not tell Skeletor yet." I grinned. "I think He-Man wants to surprise him."

"I can't wait to see that one," Father said, his jaw clenching for a moment. "When I think of all that villain has done to our family…" He and my mother exchanged glances, and I had the sudden notion that all the turmoil of the last nine years had brought them even closer together.

"Duncan told me about Adora and Abraham," I said quietly, careful to keep my innermost insecurities hidden. Maybe it was foolish after the reception I had just received, but I wasn't sure of my place in my own family anymore.

Mother made a soft gasping sound and grabbed my hand. She forced a smile, and it made the light wrinkles on her face look more like laugh lines. She must have been coloring her hair now, or maybe she was just aging really well, because there wasn't a streak of gray anywhere. "You'll love them, Adam. Adora has a noble heart like you, and little Abraham is the brother you always asked us for."

I smiled at her, grateful that she sensed my underlying anxiety. She was right. I had always asked for a little brother. I raised an eyebrow and said teasingly, "I don't remember putting in the order for a sister, though. Much less a twin." My voice grew almost serious by the end, as if of its own accord. I wanted to keep this light, but I felt so…betrayed. I know, I know. With the secret I keep from them, I really don't have a right to feel that way at all. But Mother always told me that feelings aren't right or wrong; they just are.

"The Sorceress told us that Adora's memory would focus you on the wrong things in life," Father explained, his dark eyes searching my face. Unlike Duncan, he had gained a lot more gray hair, and quite a few more wrinkles. "She said you would grow up bitter and resentful, with a heart bent on revenge." He paused, and a look I rarely saw on his face—at least in regards to me—overcame him. It was pride. And it left me speechless. "Maybe she was wrong, Adam, but I would do it again. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this nine years ago, but I'm proud of the man you've become."

Whoa. Apparently things had changed a lot more than I realized. I swallowed hard. "Thank you, Father," I answered. Somehow I managed to sound almost matter-of-fact, as if he hadn't just said the words I had longed to hear since I accepted the Power Sword at the young age of 16. Duncan caught my eye and grinned, his own face full of pride.

It was kind of weird, actually. Three of the most important people in my life were all standing around looking at me as if I'd just taken my first step or something. And I hadn't even seen them in nine years. What did they have to be proud of? Slowly it dawned on me that they had been worried about my reaction to suddenly having siblings. After all, they had no idea what had happened over the last nine years, how I might have changed. I could have become a raving lunatic for all they knew. Funny, I hadn't thought of it before. In a subtle manner, we were all sort of feeling our way, fumbling along a bit as we rediscovered each other. And I guess they were proud because as far as they could tell, I was the same old me. The more I thought about this, the more convinced I became, because I could see a bit of relief in their faces too.

Father cleared his throat. "This calls for a celebration! At long last-" His voice broke; he swallowed hard and started again. "At long last the royal family is whole. And Adam's friends will want to welcome him back."

"Tomorrow night, or maybe even next week," Mother suggested, grabbing my hand and gazing up at me. I suddenly wondered if she had shrunk while I was gone. I didn't remember her being that short. "Today is for us." She smiled as I started to speak. "And that includes Duncan, Orko, Cringer and Teela," she added knowingly.

"I want to see Teela alone first," I said quietly. She and I apparently had things to discuss. I tilted my head at my parents. "What about Abraham and Adora?"

Mother hesitated. "Do you want them there, Adam?"

Oh boy. Talk about throwing the ball back into my court. I honestly didn't. Just knowing about their existence was still a major adjustment. But they were family. I couldn't say no. I opened my mouth to respond, but Duncan interrupted me.

"Actually, Adora is away," he said. "It would be a problem to call her back before tomorrow."

Father nodded, looking a bit relieved. "And Abraham wouldn't understand why he's not the center of attention. I think it would be best if those introductions were left for tomorrow. Besides, it will give you some time to re-adjust, Adam."

I nodded, a bit surprised. Father was being so…supportive. I hadn't had time to imagine a homecoming, but this all seemed strange. I mentally shrugged. As Duncan and Father had both pointed out, there were a lot of changes to adjust to. Eventually, I would feel at home again.


	6. Chapter 5: Adam

_A/N: HazzaTL3, not sure where that question's coming from, but in the 1980's MOTU I don't recall them being specific as to when Adam received the sword. By the time the TV show picked up, there were references that made it sound as if Adam had been He-Man for years. In the newer version, Adam was 16. So I didn't worry much about the age he was when he received the sword. I don't think it's relevant to the story._

_Those of you dying to "see" Teela, it's coming. Next chapter. Promise._

**_Adam_**

Duncan discreetly left my parents and me to talk after that. I found out later that he went to Father's now-forgotten meeting and dismissed everyone, being perfectly honest about the reason. Everyone of course understood, and rushed off to tell everyone they knew that the lost prince was back. From there the news spread like wildfire. I think the whole kingdom knew I was back within another hour.

Mother and Father talked about things that had happened at first—friends we had known who had gotten married and the like. Slowly we got around to Adora. They went into a lot more detail than Duncan had. Apparently my good friend Man-at-Arms almost lost his life multiple times on Etheria. If it had not been for a few rebels he had befriended, and the fact that he had taken Fisto and Mekaneck with him, he might not have survived. A cold sweat broke out on my neck at that thought.

"Then, no sooner did your sister return to us, but she chose to go back to Etheria to fight the Horde," Father said, shaking his head. "Your mother was a mess."

Mother raised an eyebrow. "Like you were any better?" she asked dryly. She turned to me. "Adora is a great warrior, Adam. Almost as good as…as Teela was." She sighed sadly, then pushed on. "She's a natural leader, and very kind-hearted." She smiled at me again. "In fact, she is remarkably like you, in spite of the fact that you grew up on different worlds and were raised completely differently."

I could feel my face redden slightly at her words. "Must be the good genes," I joked, causing them both to chuckle.

There was a knock on the door, and Duncan poked his head in. "Forgive me, Your Majesties, but I thought perhaps…" His voice trailed off and he opened the door wider, revealing a familiar yellow-striped green tiger.

"Cringer!"

"A-Adam!"

Our voices echoed at the same time, and he ran at me as I stood, easily tumbling me to the ground. My head smacked into the floor, and I was grateful there was actually a rug in this room. Cringer, for his part, was licking me as if I were the best piece of meat he'd ever seen—for once, I didn't scold him about it.

"Cringer!" I laughed. I pushed at him until he got off so I could sit up and give him a proper hug. "Oh, I missed you, partner." It was an odd thing to say since I hadn't even remembered him, but in a way I had missed him, in the constant ache I felt regarding my absent memory.

"I didn't think we'd ever see you again. Wh-where have you been?" Cringer asked.

The room fell silent and everyone stared at me, waiting for an answer. "A planet called Draedus," I said with a quick grin. "You would have liked it, Cringer. Once He-Man got rid of the guy who was destroying it, it was not only beautiful, but nice, with lots of small, fluffy, gentle creatures."

"S-sounds like my kind of place," Cringer agreed. He rubbed his head against me, purring. I stroked his head over and over. He had aged well. Eternian tigers normally lived about forty years, and the Sorceress had always suspected that Grayskull's magic would slow his aging process—though for some reason, not mine…go figure. She said it had something to do with Grayskull ensuring He-Man's partner was always there for him. Anyway, Cringer still had muscle, a smooth shiny coat, and bright eyes. He looked as young as ever.

"Man-at-Arms!" called a familiar, child-like voice. Duncan, who still stood in the doorway observing us with a big grin on his face, turned. "Man-at-Arms! You'll never guess what I heard!" I caught a glimpse of Orko's robe and I grinned again, suspecting what was coming. "I heard Adam is back!"

"Hi Orko," I called cheerily, winking at my parents. Mother covered her smile with her hand, while Father chuckled quietly.

"Oh, hi Adam," Orko answered automatically, poking his head into the room. He turned back to Duncan. "It's all over the palace! Even the marketplace! They-" He stopped suddenly and turned to me, his yellow eyes huge. "Adam! It's really you? You really are back?"

"It's me!" I agreed, then I looked down at myself. "At least, last time I checked." Duncan choked back what must have been a laugh, probably knowing darn well that I still felt odd being Adam again.

"Yippee!" Orko yelled. He zoomed into the room to throw his arms around my neck—as close to a hug as you can get from something that's about one-sixth your size. I reached up with one hand and hugged him back as best I could.

"This is so great!" Orko bubbled, swinging his arms around. "I'm so excited I could just burst!" I automatically took a step back, but Duncan laughed and shook his head.

"Orko's magic is a bit better now," he assured me. "He still doesn't get everything right, but he doesn't explode when he's excited anymore."

"Oh good," I said, truly relieved. After all, if Duncan was saying it, I could count on it. He had always borne the brunt of Orko's magical mishaps.

Duncan had brought some food in with him, and we all chatted for another couple of hours. Orko was apparently splitting his time between Eternia and Trolla now, as he and Dree Elle were getting more serious and had even started discussing wedding plans. He was actually headed back to Trolla later that day. He offered to stay, but I encouraged him to go on and enjoy himself. I wasn't planning on going anywhere again.

Stratos had married and had two young boys. Fisto had also married—a princess named Reya from a kingdom I had never heard of. My friend—or rather, He-Man's friend—Kol-Dar, had joined the Royal Guard and after going through three other captains, my father had appointed Kol-Dar temporary captain while he sought a replacement, but was considering leaving Kol-Dar in the position.

"Adora would be perfect for the position, but of course it isn't suitable for a princess to hold it," Father said reflectively.

I barely heard him, although some part of me did register the fact that Mother and Father had nothing but the highest compliments for Adora. I filed it away to digest later, as my mind had now returned to Teela. I really wanted to see her. I was about to say as much when an alarm rang, startling me into dropping my cup.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

Duncan and Father exchanged glances, but Orko answered immediately. "Skeletor built up a big army while you were gone. He's been attacking more and more."

"He is getting bolder," Duncan said grimly, getting to his feet. "And more cunning. Adora is not here because she and She-Ra went to investigate a problem with some Shadow Beasts in one of the villages, nearly a day's flight from here. And most likely a diversion from this attack."

Duncan's wrist-comm crackled to life. "Man-at-Arms, Skeletor has breached the outer wall," came a matter-of-fact report that told me more than anything else how commonplace this had become.

"How many with him?"

"About 100 goblin warriors have engaged our troops, and he has Evil-Lyn, Spikor, and Trap Jaw with him," came the reply.

"He wants something specific, or he would have brought more troops," Father said darkly as we all moved out into the hall.

"Well, we'll just have to make sure he doesn't get it," I said easily. "He-Man had to go find Battle Cat, but I'm sure he'd love to announce his presence to Skeletor." My hand practically itched for my sword.

"Please go find him, Adam, but be careful. And tell He-Man to be wary. While you two have lived in relative peace over the last nine years, Skeletor has continued to fight, to learn. He's even more dangerous now than he was when you left," Duncan warned me. "So are his warriors. He spent several years training them to build on their strengths and improve their weaknesses."

As eager as I was to kick Skeletor into space to visit Draedus himself, the concern in my mentor's eye caught my attention and settled me. I nodded shortly, then turned and ran down the hall in the opposite direction, Cringer at my heels.

After we transformed, we went to a second-story balcony and observed the mess below. The royal guard and the goblins seemed unevenly matched; the Guard was clearly routing them. But Skeletor and his minions were giving the Masters all they could handle—Fisto and Ram-Man were down. Kol-Dar and Duncan were barely holding their own. I couldn't help but notice Teela missing from the fight below.

I drew my sword as Skeletor laughed uproariously and made Duncan and Kol-Dar's cover—a statue-disappear. "You're finished, Man-at-Arms!"

I tightened my legs slightly, and that was the only hint Battle Cat needed. He leapt into the air, roaring at the top of his lungs as he landed us square in front of Skeletor, where I was able to get a first-class view of old bonehead's reaction to my sudden re-appearance. It's amazing, really. You'd expect a face of bone to be inflexible and inexpressive, and most of the time Skeletor managed to keep his face that way. But when he was surprised, as now, it was all I could do not to laugh. His jaw dropped open, his face got narrow, and his black eye holes became round and huge. I don't know what the others looked like; I was too busy enjoying Skeletor's reaction.

Which might explain why I never saw Evil-Lyn's blast.


	7. Chapter 6: Teela

**Teela**

"Did you hear? Prince Adam has returned!"

I overheard the words in the marketplace as I was picking up a few yards of fabric.

Yup. Teela, former Captain of the Royal Guard, buying fabric. How the mighty have fallen.

After nine years, I certainly never thought I'd hear those words. _Adam was back. _It was like someone had frozen me from the inside out. My heart stopped, my stomach jumped and clenched, and I thought I might vomit right there in the middle of the street. I never, _ever,_ wanted to see Adam again. First of all, I had failed to protect him. Second of all—well, never mind.

Within moments, the entire marketplace was buzzing with the news, and the stories were growing. He'd returned with a wife and three kids. He had renounced his claim on the throne. He and Adora had gotten into a fight over who was going to be the next ruler. Each one was more ridiculous than the last.

I stormed back to my tiny little cottage, barely glancing around as I entered. It wasn't cozy. I hated it. It had become a symbol of the disaster that was my life. I kept it clean because I couldn't stand it any other way, but other than the necessary furniture and a couple of rugs to cover the cold floor for the wintertime, there were no other decorations. Today had been my first attempt. I had been going to buy fabric for curtains, something other than the drab, orange-brown that hung from the windows now. But I hadn't even done that.

I went directly to the kitchen and pulled down a glass, popped in a piece of ice, and brought my whiskey out from the bag. I hadn't touched it in three months, but after hearing the news today, I had no will to fight against the constant thirst. But just before I opened it, my hand seemed to freeze. Adam's blue eyes swam in my memory. I clenched my fist and pounded on the table, screaming my frustrations at it. When I was done, I collapsed into the chair and put my head down, sobbing.

I have no idea how long I stayed like that, but the familiar whine of engines overhead penetrated my mind eventually. I raised my head, knowing immediately they were not my father's vehicles. Skeletor was on his way to attack the palace again.

"I'm not a member of the Royal Guard anymore," I reminded myself, looking bitterly at the bottle of alcohol that seemed to be calling my name so endearingly, making promises I wanted to believe. But then I heard a distant explosion, the echo of the palace alarms, and I couldn't stay away. Every cell in my body was screaming at me that Adam was in danger. I knew it was my imagination, but I couldn't seem to stop myself from grabbing my staff any more than I had been able to resist buying that bottle. I stood there for a moment, undecided between the two. To my own surprise, my staff won. I left the cottage and ran for the palace.

Brilliantly idiotic action, of course. I got all of about a hundred yards before I was gasping for breath as if a pile of boulders rested on my chest. I was out of shape, in no condition to run, much less fight. My disgust with myself grew with every step, until I finally reached the breached gate, still gasping. I froze at what I saw. He-Man and Skeletor were engaged in a ferocious duel in the decimated courtyard. I'm not sure if I was more transfixed by the fact that He-Man was back as well, because I hadn't really thought about it, or if it was their duel that had me glued to the spot.

I don't remember ever seeing them fight like that. The sheer force of every blow seemed to make the entire courtyard quake. The clang of their swords hurt my eardrums, and in spite of myself, my heart skipped a beat in fear. Skeletor had grown more vicious over the years. I don't know where He-Man had been all those years, but he seemed to be having trouble holding his own. Then I realized he was favoring one arm. It looked like his left arm was hurt or even useless.

"You should have stayed wherever it was I sent you, you fool!" Skeletor cried out, frustration lacing his voice.

"But I missed you, Skeletor," He-Man quipped, dodging a magical blow.

I snickered quietly at that, the fear in my chest easing. Out of habit, I glanced around to make sure no one was sneaking up on me. It seemed as if everyone but Skeletor had been taken care of or had abandoned the attack. Apparently Skeletor was so wrapped up in defeating He-Man that he hadn't noticed his lack of minion support.

But He-Man had noticed. "Give it up, Skeletor. You lose," he taunted old bonehead.

Skeletor glanced about, then he seemed to look directly at He-Man's shoulder, then at my father, Battle Cat, and a few masters who were standing behind He-Man. Reluctantly, he straightened up and stepped back. "Maybe you've won today, He-Man, but we both know now that I can and will defeat you one day," he proclaimed, then disappeared before He-Man could respond in any way.

I hung back as others gathered around He-Man, welcoming him home, pounding on his back. I debated leaving quietly; the danger was over now, there was no reason for me to stay. There had been no reason to come in the first place, actually. And even though I missed He-Man, I was embarrassed to face him. He was bound to ask why I wasn't fighting with them. Finally, I did turn to leave and walked a few steps, lost in my own miserable thoughts. But I didn't get far. A strong hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, forcefully yet gently.

"Teela," He-Man said, a gentle reprimand in his voice, "weren't you even going to say hello?"

I looked up into his eyes. I had long since stopped wearing high heels, so he was even taller than I remembered. Those blue eyes held warm feelings and a true joy at seeing me—emotions I hadn't seen on anyone's face in a long time. Most people looked at me with disappointment and sadness. He-Man was concerned-I figured he had probably heard something about my resignation—but it was nice to see someone who wasn't disappointed in me, even though it wouldn't last. I felt something inside me crack a little, and it made me pull away, even though what I really wanted to do was hug him.

"We've missed you," I said, wrapping my arms around myself.

He-Man gave me a mock-smile. "I would have missed you as well, had I been able to remember anything," he said, only half-joking. "I only got my memory back today."

"Tough life," I said, my eyes traveling to his shoulder. "Back on Eternia for a few hours and fighting already. What happened to your shoulder?"

He grimaced slightly. "Evil-Lyn caught me with a power blast of some kind. I'll be alright."

"Yeah," I said, wishing I didn't feel so awkward. I kicked the ground with my foot, glancing over at the masters, who were staring openly at us. Maybe they figured He-Man could "save" me. Little did they know. "I gotta go."

"Really?" He-Man asked, sounding as if he didn't believe me. I glanced up quickly; there was no mockery on his face.

"Yeah," I asserted. "I have things to do."

"Well, I'm glad I got to see you," He-Man said casually, but his eyes never left my face. It was as if he was trying to see into my soul. "Adam's been visiting with his parents, but I know he's anxious to see you as well. He was hoping to come by in a little while."

I could feel my whole face go hard, and I swear my eyes must have turned into ice chips. "I don't want to see him. You can tell him that," I bit off sharply.

He-Man's eyes widened, and for a second he looked a bit hurt, but then he just looked confused. Maybe I imagined the hurt. "Why? What happened between you two?" he asked.

"None of your blasted business," I retorted harshly. Then I turned and strode away, leaving a bewildered He-Man behind.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't half-hoping He-Man would follow me. I was. But I was also half-hoping he wouldn't. I wanted him to care, because I had so few friends left now. Drowning your sorrows in a bottle has a tendency to chase your friends away.

He didn't follow me, though, and I had a long time to think as I walked home alone. Thinking has a way of making me miserable nowadays. I tend to remember, and remembering's a bad thing. Plus I was feeling guilty for speaking to He-Man that way after not seeing him for nine years. It was as if all my speaking skills had abandoned me, and all the wrong things to say came out of my mouth instead of what I really meant. By the time I got home, I was convinced I was the worst person on Eternia and that bottle of whiskey was calling my name so loudly that I figured even the Elders could hear it.

I didn't waste any time. I grabbed the bottle, ignored the glass of now-melted ice, plopped down on the couch and took a long swig.

Now the thing about Eternian liquor is that it's strong. I remember the first time Queen Marlena tried whiskey. She had been on Eternia for over ten years. I guess I was about seven or so. She drank half a decanter and she was toast. Apparently Earthlings have a really low tolerance to Eternian alcohol. But even Eternians don't have to drink much for a nice buzz. So after the equivalent of a half a glass, I was really relaxed, especially since I'd been booze-free for three months at that point. Three more swigs and I was well on my way to feeling happily numb-not there yet, but my body sort of molded itself into the cushions of my couch, and the ever-present pain was dulled just a bit.

Only then there was a knock on the door.


	8. Chapter 7: Adam

_**Adam**_

Teela's statement drove me to distraction. The masters, fortunately, were pretty used to He-Man disappearing quickly, so I was able to leave almost right away. After I transformed back into myself, Duncan caught me in the hallway, his brown eyes full of concern.

"You look upset," he observed. "What did Teela say to you?"

"That she never wanted to see Adam again," I said somberly. I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. "Duncan, I don't remember the last month I was here. I have no idea what happened between us to make her so angry with me."

"Then tell her that," Duncan advised me seriously. "Adam, whatever did happen may hold the key to what's been bothering her since you disappeared."

"I know." My eyes grew moist at the thought that I could be the reason, somehow, for all of Teela's distress. "Ancients, Duncan, how could I have hurt her so badly and not even remember it?" The thought of who exactly I was speaking to caught up with me after the words left my mouth, but Duncan was shaking his head.

"Adam, I don't know what happened, but I know you would never have intentionally hurt Teela," he said, reaching out and clasping one arm bracingly. He took in my expression and frowned. "Look lad... I think you've pushed yourself enough emotionally and physically today. I think you should rest a while and eat dinner here. Maybe catch Teela later tonight or even in the morning."

"No," I protested, though in truth I was exhausted. The day on Draedus had been more than half over, but on Eternia, it had been barely mid-morning when I arrived. If I were to take a guess, I would say I'd been awake for nearly twenty hours. That was probably the equivalent of a sunrise to sunset on Draedus, but it was still time for my body to sleep, and it seemed to know it. I shook my head stubbornly, though. "I have to know what's going on, Duncan. I won't be able to rest until I see her anyway."

Duncan sighed, but nodded. "I understand," he said. "Take the attack track that looks like the one you remember. It's still programmed to respond to your voice, and it knows the way to Teela's cottage."

I inclined my head slightly with a small smile at his thoughtfulness. "Thank you, Duncan."

To my surprise, I was able to catch a quick nap on the way to Teela's house. The attack track woke me up by announcing we had arrived. As I studied the small cottage, I rubbed at my eyes blearily and tried to get rid of the fogginess that had taken residence in my head.

It was neat, but not homey. I smirked slightly. Teela never had been one on fluffy stuff and decorations. Functional was good for her. The stone path to the door was clear of weeds, but there wasn't a flower to be seen in the yard.

I sighed. Seeing Teela again, even as He-Man, had brought the strongest flood of emotions yet. I had wanted so badly to hug her and never let go, but she had pulled away from me pretty quickly. Which was probably just as well. I didn't need her falling in love with He-Man. I climbed out of the track, stretched, walked up to the door, and knocked.

There was silence. "Teela, I know you're in there," I called, even though I knew no such thing.

"Go 'way," came her muffled voice.

I frowned. Her voice didn't sound right at all. I tried the doorknob; it was unlocked. "I'm coming in," I called, keeping my voice upbeat. "You'd better be decent." It was an old joke from when we were kids and used to actually try to catch each other naked-before we became aware of exactly how improper that was. So I didn't exactly expect or think I deserved the glass that flew by my head and crashed into the wall as I entered.

Teela sat on a firm-looking blue-and-tan-striped couch, slouched down. She glared at me. "I told He-Man to tell you I didn't want to see you!" she snarled. It wasn't hard to guess what she'd been doing; the air smelled like whiskey, and an open bottle was on the small, dark wooden table in front of the couch.

Cautiously, I closed the door behind me, watching to see if she was going to fling anything else at me. "I know," I said carefully, trying my best to keep any of the shock I was feeling out of my voice and face. "But he didn't tell me why, so I came to find out."

Teela stared at me in utter disbelief. "Yeah, right. You already know."

"Actually, Teela, I don't," I replied, taking a step towards her. "I-"

She didn't give me a chance to explain. "Then use your imagination, Adam. I'm sure you can figure it out." She folded her arms and tilted her head back, blinking rapidly.

My heart broke into a dozen pieces. I closed the distance between us and sank to my knees, reaching out and grasping her hand before she could stop me. She looked at me with such disgust and confusion in her eyes that I felt my own eyes filling up with tears. "Teela, whatever happened between us, whatever I did, I don't remember," I said lowly, swiftly. "Skeletor's spell messed with my memory. I can't remember anything from the last month I was here on Eternia."

She looked almost hopeful for a moment, then she snorted. "Yeah, right. You weren't the one he cast that spell on. He-Man was."

I had to be careful here. I was treading on glass with spiked boots, as Duncan used to say. "When I went after him, I was somehow caught up in the spell. Neither one of us can remember our last month here on Eternia. The Sorceress said our memories might come back, but she wasn't sure."

Teela gave a sharp, bitter laugh. "That figures," she choked out, tears starting to fall down her face. She yanked her hand away and covered her face. "That just bloody figures."

"Teela, please, talk to me," I begged her, grabbing her wrists gently and tugging on them. She kept her face covered, taking deep shuddering breaths. "Ancients, Teela, whatever it is I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Go away," she cried, yanking her arms out of my grasp. For a second I thought she was going to take a swing at me, but then she just sort of flopped sideways onto the couch. She curled into a ball, holding a pillow in front of her. "Leave me alone, Adam. Just go away and leave me alone."

"Teela," I said, pleadingly. I started to reach for her shoulder, to make some sort of contact, when a hand grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked me backwards. "Hey!" I protested.

"What in the woods do you think you're doing?" demanded a hard female voice. I scrambled to my feet and faced a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman. As I tried to figure out who she was, recognition dawned on her face, then surprise. But then her chin went up and her face went blank. She crossed her arms as she regarded me coolly. "Oh. Hello, Adam."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked, my brow furrowed. She seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place her.

She smirked ever-so-slightly, and I felt irritation rise up at the look. "I'm Adora. Your sister."

I blinked.

Okay, again, I hadn't had much time to contemplate what it would mean to have a sister, nor had I even seen a picture of her. I was emotionally unbalanced at the moment, thanks to all of the upheaval I'd experienced in one day. So you'll understand that the words that came out of my mouth next were both logical and ridiculously stupid. "Adora? But you're supposed to be off defending a town in the Mystic Mountains."

Adora folded her arms, still retaining that coolness that was succeeding in irritating me already. "Buzz-Off and Stratos are handling it. I suspected it was a diversion."

"It was," I said absently, studying her. I could see her resemblance to Mother, although she had blue eyes and blond hair like I did. We must both take after a grandparent somewhere. "Skeletor attacked the palace." I suddenly remembered Teela was there and stopped to look at her.

She was watching us with an amused sneer on her face. I drew in a deep breath. Obviously I wasn't going to get anywhere with her today. Not with Adora present.

"So when did you return from your little vacation?" Adora was asking in a haughty voice. I turned to her in disbelief.

"Vacation? Where on Eternia did you get the idea I was on a vacation?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"The timing seemed a bit too convenient to me," Adora informed me, arching one eyebrow. Her voice had gotten even colder somehow.

"You think I deliberately stayed away from my family and friends, from my home, from my responsibilities, for _nine years_?" I asked, drawing myself up to my full height. I was furious at the very idea, and that someone I'd never even met could think so little of me just confounded me. She knew of my responsibility as He-Man. She had to. How could she even think such a thing?

Something flickered in Adora's eye, but she held her ground. "Based on what I know of you, that's exactly what I think," she stated flatly.

"Then you don't know anything," I snapped at her. "My memory was gone for the last nine years. Until today, I didn't even know what my real name was."

"Oh yeah? Then what were you called for the last nine years?" Adora challenged me.

"Ranger," I snapped again.

The quick response seemed to take her back a mental step. There was little chance that anyone responding that quickly could be lying, and she knew it. We stared at each other for several long minutes, the only sound that of a few birds outside and our own breathing. Finally I looked from Adora to Teela, who was still staring at me with abject hatred in her face.

I forced my shoulders to relax. "Well, I can see when I'm not wanted." I cast a glance at Teela. "This isn't over, Teela. I won't rest until I know what I did to upset you so." With that I took my leave, trying to hang on to what dignity I had left.


	9. Chapter 8: Teela

_A/N: I'm sorry for the overly long delay and the very short chapter. I will try to post something sooner next time around. And if you tried to access this earlier and found a bunch of gobbledy-gook or nothing, I apologize. Something went screwy with the file and it had a bunch of random code, so I had to delete the chapter and re-post it. _

**Teela**

Adam's retreat seemed to leave a large empty space in my little house. Seeing him had filled me with so many emotions I can't even explain them all. They were all jumbled up and twisted and wound around each other, in spite of the alcohol in my system-or maybe because of it. I couldn't believe he'd come home. I couldn't believe he didn't remember what happened. I couldn't believe he still cared.

Of course, he didn't remember anything and he didn't know the truth. If he did, he'd hate me as much as I professed to hate him. Don't get me wrong. I did hate him...but seeing him again was more confusing than I had expected. There was a lot more history to us than just those last few days. Those days had defined me because that's what I focused on. But looking into his eyes again brought back far more memories. Mostly good ones, which somehow hurt more than the bad.

Adora caught me reaching for the flask. "Oh no you don't," she scolded me, swiping it out of my hand. She went into the kitchen and poured it down the sink. I didn't bother trying to stop her; it wouldn't have worked. Besides, I was already disappointed enough in myself for slipping.

"He's not lying," I said in an aimless sort of way as she came back in and sat down next to me on the couch.

"About what part?" Adora asked in a neutral tone.

"All of it. He really doesn't remember." My voice broke as I spoke, and I pressed my lips together tightly. "And he won't leave it alone until I tell him what happened." Big fat tears rolled down my face. I hated them. I despised the weakness.

Adora knew that, and she didn't look at me as she put a comforting arm around my shoulders. "You don't have to tell him anything," she said gently.

I let out a harsh laugh. "Yes I do. You don't know Adam. He may be a coward and a goof-off, but when he sets his mind to something, there's no deterring him." The tears fell in earnest. "He'll find out, or I'll admit it, and he'll hate me. Just like before."

Adora's arm dropped. "He has no right to hate you!" she growled angrily. "He's just as much at fault as you are!"

I ducked my head. She was right, but she didn't know the whole truth. No one did. And I had started to think no one ever would. But now...Adam would know, eventually. There was no way I could keep it from him. We had never had any secrets between us. I put my head down on my knees, despair consuming me. It was easier when he was missing. Then I could daydream that he was happy somewhere, that he missed me and was sorry and he still cared. But knowing he would soon hate me...it was almost more than my soul could bear.


	10. Chapter 9: Adam

_A/N: Well, I have no excuse except...how is it August 20th already?_

**Adam**

I returned to the attack track and sat there for a few minutes, staring out mindlessly. That morning I had been blissfully unaware of all the changes that had occurred on Eternia in the last nine years. I had questioned where I was from, who I was, and hated living every second not knowing the answer.

That had been easy compared to this.

Coming back and finding Teela despised me so...I drew in a shuddering breath. I could think of very few possible reasons. Obviously I must have insulted or hurt her, somehow. For a few seconds I had thought she had figured out my secret, but that clearly wasn't it. I just couldn't figure out what I'd done. Not to sound arrogant, but I'm a pretty nice guy. I do my best _not_ to hurt people, to help wherever and however I can. So what on Eternia could I have done to her to cause this reaction?

Then there was Adora. After all the build-up, I thought I was going to love her instantly. I wanted to. But she clearly didn't feel the same. Again, I didn't understand. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that the two were related. Adora must know whatever happened, and whatever it was, it was bad enough for her to pre-judge me before we'd even met.

Not even when I was on Draedus had I been this upset over not knowing a piece of my life—and there I knew I had lost my entire childhood and formative years. Now all I was missing was a month, and it was torturing me like nothing else had.

Part of me wanted to storm back into Teela's house and demand answers, but the more logical part of me prevailed...okay, I can't lie. It wasn't logic. It was the tears on my cheeks. I had been pushed as far as I could go emotionally that day. I needed some time to absorb all the changes in my life. I could feel my mind going numb from the shock of it all; I was even having a hard time concentrating enough to think of what to tell the attack track to do next.

I noticed a white horse with a red mane and tail grazing outside of Teela's house; my mind latched onto the distraction as if in self-defense. I figured that was Adora's companion, as Cringer was mine. Idly, I wondered how it could get any bigger. The thing was huge.

Yeah…I can ride a horse, but I don't like it very much. I feel safer with tigers.

"Are we going home now, Prince Adam?" asked the attack track in its mechanical voice.

"Yes, Track," I replied wearily, wiping the tears from my face. "Let's go home. Slowly." I wanted some time to gather myself together. Downtrodden, defeated…this was not the homecoming I had imagined. Ancients knew that although I never knew where I was from, I imagined coming home often. I pictured a loving family running to embrace me, maybe even children, shy from their father's long absence. Funny how when you imagine things like that, you never imagine the tough parts.

Duncan predictably met me in the hangar. I shook my head warily as I exited the attack track, watching him closely for any sign that he was going to harbor ill will towards me for my unknown sin. "She refused to talk to me, and Adora backed her up," I said, my voice sounding hoarse and tired to my own ears. "Whatever it is, Adora knows about it."

"Adora was at Teela's cabin?" Duncan asked, sounding surprised…and maybe a bit hesitant.

"She showed up while I was there," I confirmed. I met Duncan's eye, hoping he couldn't see how awful that encounter was.

"So what did you think of your sister?" Duncan asked, his tone carefully neutral. I must have given away my feelings. Darn. I used to be better at hiding them from him, but I was out of practice.

I glanced around to confirm we were alone, then straightened up and gave him the truth. "Judgmental. Cold. Loyal."

"Cold?" Duncan repeated, one eyebrow raised. "Judgmental? _Adora?_"

"Towards me she is," I grunted. There were some boxes in a corner that were only partially stacked. Needing something to vent my sudden frustrations on, I strode over and started moving them around. "She basically accused me of deliberately staying away for nine years."

Duncan's mouth dropped open, I noted with some satisfaction as I lifted another box. "I couldn't even say much to defend myself, because Teela was there. Adora _knows_ why I left, doesn't she Duncan?" I stopped and turned back to him as the question took hold. "She does know I'm He-Man, doesn't she?"

Duncan seemed dumbfounded. "Well, I never came out and told her, but I assume she knows," he said in a perplexed voice. "Even if the Sorceress didn't tell her, she's heard the story as everyone else has, that He-Man was caught by Skeletor, his memory erased, and he was sent to the Crossroads of the Universe. And that you went after him and were somehow caught up in the spell."

"Well surely Grayskull's magic wouldn't keep the secret from her," I mused, turning back and hefting yet another box. "She _must_ know I'm He-Man."

"I know." Her voice echoed across the hangar, and I guiltily wondered how long she'd been there.

I wasn't about to let that stop me, though. I turned back to her slowly, deliberately. "Then why the attitude, Adora?" I asked quietly.

"Being He-Man doesn't make you perfect," she snapped.

"Of course not. But you must know I had no control over the situation," I objected.

"Actually, I don't know that," Adora said coolly. "What I think is that it's very possible you chose to stay away for nine years because you couldn't handle the stress or your responsibilities anymore."

"Adam would never do something like that," Duncan broke in firmly.

"Oh really?" Adora challenged. "The word about him is that he was always ready to fool around with a pretty lady. That he was lazy and irresponsible, and on the verge of being disowned by the king."

My jaw opened of its own accord. "Disowned?" I repeated numbly. Not that the thought hadn't occurred to me before, but it was one of those distant ideas that even though you think it, you don't believe it will actually happen.

Duncan glared at Adora and folded his arms. "The king never mentioned such a thing. And you shouldn't believe the rumors about Adam. I'm sorry we haven't done a better job of informing you what your brother's really like."

"Oh I know all I need to know," Adora said in a sharp tone. "And you wouldn't think so highly of him if _you _knew the truth."

"What truth?" I demanded. I ground my teeth together in a desperate attempt to keep a hold of my emotions, but the words that came out were still biting. "I'm glad you haven't had any problems with your dual identity, Adora, but I did. Yes, I missed meetings, was habitually late, and everyone thought I was irresponsible because of it. I took naps because He-Man's heroics sometimes left me exhausted, and often that was when Teela thought I should be training with her, because she didn't know I'd done enough training with Skeletor. None of it could be helped. That's the truth, plain and simple."

"Oh really?" she said, walking over to me with measured steps. She stopped short just in front of me. She seemed to be about Teela's height, actually, maybe half an inch shorter, and she peered up at me with crystal-clear blue eyes that still sparked with anger. "And what about what you did to Teela?"

"What did I do, Adora?" I asked desperately. She sneered at me and seemed about to turn away, but I grabbed her wrist. Everything in me that was angry just a few seconds before was now aching at the thought that I had hurt my best friend. "_Please_, Adora. I really don't know. Teela's like a sister to me. I can't even imagine what I did to hurt her so."

Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought her face softened just a bit. Then her harsh mask was back in place. "Teela swore me to secrecy. I can't tell you." She crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'm not sure I'd tell you anyway."

Well, that was a fat lot of help. I ground my teeth again in frustration as she turned on her heel and strode away. "Someone needs to take her attitude to the cleaners," I growled to Duncan.

For his part, Duncan seemed flabbergasted, staring after Adora with his mouth hanging half-open. As I spoke to him, he turned back to me, shaking his head in clear confusion. "I'm sorry, Adam. I had no idea she harbored such an ill opinion of you. I'll try to talk to her and sort it out."

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to sort out my own mess—she was my sister, after all. But I was afraid my emotions were too raw at the moment. His offer was tempting. Finally I shook my head. "I appreciate the offer, Duncan, but her opinion of me is low enough already. I won't reinforce it by sending you to intercede for me." I ran a hand through my hair. "She'll have to wait until tomorrow, though. I've had about enough for today."

Duncan gave me a surprised but approving glance, probably recalling my determination to see Teela. "You've matured, Adam. It used to be you didn't know when to step back and allow yourself some time to deal with things."

"I've learned a lot of patience," I admitted. "Not knowing who you are for nine years will do that to you, if only because you live daily on the hope that you'll remember. I also had to hold back in my relationships, because I didn't know if I had a wife or children already."

"That must have been difficult," Duncan noted.

"Yeah, I guess," I responded. "But like I said, it was peaceful. I had a home, a job, friends." A wistful smile touched my face. "That was my one regret, that I had to leave so quickly once I realized who I was."

Duncan sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Adam. I wish we had found you sooner."

I shrugged. Everything still seemed so surreal to me that I couldn't seem to agree or disagree with him. I felt as if I had just woken up from a nine-year dream. "I'm going to head up to my room," I said. "Get ready for dinner." I hesitated a minute. "Dinner's still the same time and place?"

He chuckled. "Yes. That hasn't changed in the last fifty years, never mind the last nine."

I was glad. It was nice to know something had stayed the same.


	11. Chapter 10: Adam

_A/N: Eight years later, I still don't own 'em. And the dang plot bunnies are still in control. _

* * *

**Adam**

"Adam?" There was an insistent knock on the door. "Adam!"

Drat it. I had fallen asleep on the bed. I rolled to a sitting position and bid Orko—I could tell it was his voice-to enter. I stumbled to my bathroom as he came in and splashed some cold water on my face.

"Your father sent me to get you for dinner," Orko said in an apologetic voice. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay," I said in between drying my face. "I didn't mean to fall asleep for so long. Am I late?"

"Not yet. The dinner bell-" Before Orko could finish his sentence, the dinner chimes rang. He and I exchanged glances and flew out of the room, Cringer on our heels. It was so much like old times that we burst into the dining room full of laughter. Out of habit I choked it back and started to apologize to my parents for being late, but the words died in my throat. They were beaming at me.

"Nice to know you haven't changed much," Father said with a smirk.

That did it for all of us. I guess we all needed some relief from the tension, because every one of us burst out laughing.

After the laughter died down, however, Teela's empty chair was painfully obvious to me, especially when Mother asked if she would be coming.

"I don't think so," I replied in a subdued voice. "Teela's angry with me for some reason, and I'm afraid I have no idea why." Thankfully Adora was not present to chime in with her opinion.

Father put the pieces together immediately. "So her actions and subsequent resignation…" His voice trailed off as he stared at me, his brow furrowed.

"…may have been my fault," I confirmed miserably. "But that spell I got caught up in…it wiped out my memories from the last month. Whatever it is I did must have happened during that time."

"And she wouldn't talk to you about it?" Mother asked, obviously surprised. I couldn't blame her. Teela and I used to share everything.

"No," I replied. My eyes narrowed as it suddenly occurred to me that the Sorceress, with her magic, should be able to see into the past to find out. Yet she hadn't offered, hadn't even mentioned that anything was wrong with Teela. The only thing I could think that meant was that it was something she felt I shouldn't know about my first day back on Eternia. Which of course was no help at all in figuring out what it might be.

"So, Adam, I understand you've met your sister," Father said, obviously trying to change the subject to what he probably thought would be a safer topic.

Ha. Little did he know. I mentally scrambled for something to say.

"Yes. Apparently she and Teela have become good friends." Oops. I had intended to say that in a factual sort of way, but it came out sounding a bit…ah…I believe the word might be jealous…even to my ears. I couldn't imagine what it sounded like to everyone else. I continued on, trying to cover up my gaffe. "She arrived at Teela's cottage while I was there."

"I think they understand each other very well," Mother agreed smoothly. I mentally blessed her for moving the conversation along and turning Father's thoughtful eye away from me. "They were both raised to be warriors, and though it is obviously through very different circumstances, both have found that is no longer their destiny," Mother continued. "I think it is only natural they would bond over it."

Put that way, it made sense. But coming back to find that my place as Teela's friend had been taken over by a woman who clearly detested me was still hard to swallow.

Duncan cleared his throat. "I understand He-Man headed up some sort of security function on that planet you two found yourselves on," he said.

"That's right," I replied, taking a sip of wine and flashing him a glance of appreciation.

"What did you do?" Mother asked innocently. "I always wondered what you might have become if you weren't the prince, Adam."

Oh boy. Leave it to my mother to put me in another tight spot. "I basically just helped He-Man," I replied with a shrug. "We always believed our time there was temporary, and it seemed an easy job to groom someone else to take over."

"So you and He-Man spent a lot of time together," mused Father. One side of his mouth twitched as one of the servants placed dessert on the table. I nearly choked on my food, but managed a nod. Father beamed at me, a huge grin on his face. "That's wonderful, Adam! I trust your fighting skills have improved."

There was a hint of laughter in his eyes I didn't understand, but I didn't spend much time dwelling on it. This mess was getting deeper by the minute. I hated the deception to begin with, and moments like this made it almost unbearable. My fighting skills had only not improved, they were probably worse from all the time I had spent as He-Man. My coordination as Adam still wasn't up to par; for all I knew it might never be.

"I'm afraid even He-Man has his limitations, Father," I quipped with a quick grin. Everyone laughed on cue, but inwardly I feared that Father had not been joking, and I dreaded the moment he learned I was still no better at fighting than I had been nine years ago.

* * *

I might have learned some patience while I was on Draedus, but not as much as I probably should have. As a result, I ate breakfast early and then intercepted Adora as soon as she finished eating—as tempting as it was to interrupt her morning workout in the training yard, I did manage not to do that. I figured the two of us confronting each other on empty stomachs was a recipe for disaster.

"Adora, I'd like to speak with you," I requested, keeping my voice calm and friendly.

She stared at me coolly, then nodded. "Alright. We can talk in my study."

Perfect. Except that _her_ study used to be _my _study, and walking in there was like a blow to the stomach. The furniture was the same, the view was pretty much the same, but the way things were set up, the knickknacks and trophies and awards—it was all different.

For the first time since I'd arrived home, a surge of anger over the situation plowed through me. I clenched my fists and went to the window, taking deep breaths to calm myself as I stared out.

"Problem, Brother?" There was an odd mix of tones in Adora's voice. It was like she wanted to be helpful and to reach out to me, but there was a definite sarcasm lacing the words. I thought maybe there was also a note of sympathy. It was hard to tell.

Still...sympathy. Adora had been lied to her entire life about who her family was, who she truly was. She had missed what should have been her entire childhood and formative years with us. She certainly could understand what I was going through. And maybe if I was honest about what I was feeling, she'd open up a little in return.

"I've lost so many years," I said in a low, hoarse voice. My emotions were too tight for me to speak any more clearly. "I can't get them back. Everything's the same, yet everything's different. I feel like I've woken from a coma. I should have been here. I should have been here to help Duncan find you, to keep Skeletor from gaining so much power, to prevent Teela from…" I raised a hand, at a loss for words to describe her situation.

Adora made no move towards me. "Yes, you should have been here," she agreed sternly. I closed my eyes and hung my head for a few seconds, struggling to regain control of myself. From the tone of her voice, it seemed that this approach was not going to help things. "But if you had been," she continued, "you would have come after me alone, and most likely been killed in the process." I turned to her, stunned by her assertion, but she met my gaze unflinchingly. "I've seen you fight on the memory projector, things Teela and Duncan showed me. You're used to Skeletor and his bumbling minions. The Horde troopers were well-trained, expert marksmen. You wouldn't have stood a chance with the way you operate." She raised her chin haughtily. "I heard you got hit by Evil-Lyn yesterday, in fact."

My face must have been as red as Orko's robe by the time she was done. "And I see you're having a dashingly easy time with them," I retorted. "They're clearly all behind bars where they belong."

Adora crossed her arms. "They're better warriors than they were before you left. I'll get them in prison where they belong, even without _your_ help."

"Enough!" I snapped. I drew myself up to my full height, and could practically feel the fire spitting out of my eyes. "I worked with the Masters for years before Skeletor sent me off to the Crossroads of the Universe. I understood you had come and done the same, that you were a team player. A natural warrior and leader, that's what everyone said as soon as I returned home yesterday. But right now, Adora, I find that hard to believe. What the Blazes is your problem with me? You don't even know me!"

She stepped forward, going nose-to-nose with me even though she was a head shorter. "I have no use for men like you, who use their position and power to bed women!" she growled.

Well, if you had told me that Cringer had just single-handedly beaten Skeletor and taken over Snake Mountain, I couldn't have been more surprised. I stood shocked for a moment, then my brow furrowed up as tight as it would go. "What?" I whispered. Anger flooded back in quickly. "Who told you such a lie?" I demanded.

"None of your business," Adora sneered. "Obviously if you have to ask, it's true. You've bedded so many women you can't even remember their names."

"Not that it's any of _your _business, but I have never lain with anyone!" I growled. I shook my head in disbelief. No wonder she had such a low opinion of me, if she were listening to crazy rumors. "People make up stories all the time as a way to lay claim to the throne. But obviously you're going to believe what you want to, Adora. I thought we could talk out whatever it was that got us off on the wrong foot, but apparently you don't have any interest in building a relationship. So I'll tell you what. You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

Adora crossed her arms again, glaring. "Sounds good to me," she said icily.

"Fine," I bit off, then turned and stormed out of the office.

Livid was too tame a word to describe the rage within me. I hadn't been this angry in…well. The last time had probably been more than a decade ago, when Skeletor had threatened my friends. No one had ever spoken to me like that—whether it was because they had no reason to do so or had not the courage, I had no idea, but of course I liked to think I hadn't given them a reason to. Like I said before, I try hard to be a nice guy.

I have to admit there was a grudging respect for Adora under all that anger. In spite of the misinformation that shaped her opinion of me, I found it a little admirable that she was holding to her own values so tightly. A little. Mostly I was just furious with her.

My subconscious chose that moment to connect the dots. You know how you get one of those fleeting realizations that flies through your head so fast you lose it right away? Yeah, I had one of those. I stopped short as my stomach turned over, and tried to chase the thought down mentally. However, fate intervened, as so often happens in life, in the form of a young boy, maybe about five, rounding the corner at full speed, straight into me. It threw me back a step, of course, and he went flying onto his bottom. He looked up at me with huge brown eyes.

"Sorry about that," I said, squatting down to get to his level. "Are you okay?"

He nodded emphatically and began talking at the same time. "I know you. You're Adam! I've seen your pictures! You're my big brother!"

"Oh, so you must be Abraham," I replied, smiling broadly at him, my mood lightening immediately. Maybe you think that's odd—after all, in spite of what Duncan said, Abraham was essentially my replacement. A lot of people would probably feel threatened by that, and yes, a small part of me acknowledged that "threat." But truth be told, I had my hands full being He-Man most days. If Father wanted to name Abraham heir to the throne, that would be just fine with me.

Naming Adora heir would be a different story.

Oblivious to all my internal musings, Abraham was frowning at me. "I don't like that name," he informed me. "No one calls me Abraham, except Momma and Dad."

"Oh?" I asked, one eyebrow raised. Father really had mellowed with age, then. It used to be he wouldn't allow any nicknames of any royal family member, especially not by anyone outside the family. Even calling me "Dear" was pushing it unless your name was Marlena. "So what do you like to be called?"

"Ham," he answered promptly, scrambling to his feet and grinning at me now. His brown hair was a bit curly, like Mother's, and the way it was cut at a slightly longer length to show off those curls gave him an impish look.

I could barely hold back a chuckle as I stood, because I had the distinct impression that his name matched his personality. "Okay, then I'll call you Ham, if you want."

"Good," he said with a big nod. "So where ya been? Everyone said you were missing. Did you let go of Momma's hand when you weren't supposed to?"

I had to laugh aloud at that. "I guess you could say that," I answered. "You know who Skeletor is?"

Ham's face grew very serious. "Yeah, he attacks all the time and when he does I have to go to the safe room with ten thousand guards around me."

"Well, that's a good idea," I said, my heart aching at the overprotective measures my parents had put into place. I knew the number of guards was an exaggeration, but we had never had a safe room before.

"So Skeletor took you?" Ham asked, drawing my attention back to his original question.

"He cast a spell on He-Man, and when I tried to help He-Man, the spell took me away too," I said, trying to keep the explanation as simple as I could.

Ham's eyes were huge. "You know He-Man?" he asked in an awed voice. "I saw him fight Skeletor yesterday. He was awesome!"

I tilted my head at him. "I thought you were in the safe room when Skeletor attacked," I reminded him. "How did you see He-Man?"

"Oh there are cameras all over the palace and the feed goes right into the safe room," he said, sounding much older than his years.

"Really?" I asked, carefully keeping my voice neutral. That might have been nice to know _before_ I transformed yesterday, and maybe before Duncan and I had had that heart-to-heart chat. I'd have to ask Duncan about the cameras later. Obviously keeping my secret was going to be a bit more difficult now than it was nine years ago.

"Yeah," he said, nodding again. It was a wonder his head was still attached to his body with all that nodding. He squinted up at me. "Do you like to play catch?"

I remembered being that age and asking Teela to play catch with me. She had been my playmate, always there, for as long as I could remember. The memory twisted my heart, but I forced a smile to my face. "Yeah, Ham, I do."


	12. Chapter 11: Teela

_A/N: Since I've been extraordinarily slow in posting these, I'm going to point out that this is the second one in a week, just in case someone missed the last update. (Especially since all those funky log-in issues were going on at that time. I got in to post it, then couldn't get back in to make one small correction!) I'm on a bit of a roll this week with this story. :-) _

_**Teela**_

I was absolutely determined. I woke up, poured out all the alcohol I had in the house, and went back into the market for that stupid fabric. I found some I liked okay—until I realized it was the same blue as Adam's eyes. I frowned darkly at it and grabbed a green swath instead. Then I went home and sewed.

I have a love-hate relationship with sewing.

It requires sitting still, which I hate. It also requires discipline, which I used to love. Until I started drinking.

It wasn't intentional, that first drink. I actually just used it to relax enough to get to sleep. I didn't sleep well after…well, after Adam and He-Man disappeared. So then it became a nightly habit. I couldn't sleep without it, which is a problem when you're sometimes on extended guard duty for multiple days.

A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts. My heart went into my throat. I knew Adam would come back again, but hadn't expected it to be so soon. I went to the door, struggling to keep myself from shaking. Imagine my disappointment and relief when I found Adora there instead of Adam.

"Good morning," she said in that no-nonsense voice, her eyes assessing my state immediately. "I see my brother's return hasn't done too much harm. You're sober."

I gave her a dirty look. "Good morning to you too," I muttered, stepping aside to let her in. "Not happily, but yes, I am."

Adora had been my rock for the last year. I don't know if my father asked her to see if she could help me or what, but in spite of my problems with the bottle, she and I became solid friends, like Adam and I used to be. She made it a point to check in on me almost every day, whether she was welcome or not. So she had no problem moving herself into the kitchen and getting herself some tea. "You want some?" she called.

Shaking my head with a half-smile on my face, I called back, "Sure. I need a break from sewing these stupid curtains anyway."

Moments later we were settled at my kitchen table, the late morning sun slanting in on us. "So how are you doing?" Adora asked, her eyes warm and empathetic.

"I feel like a heel," I confessed. "I was rude to He-Man and awful to Adam. Things couldn't have gone worse if I'd tried."

Adora let out a quiet grunt. "I don't see why Adam deserves any more courtesy than what you showed him anyway."

"History," I said softly. "He was my best friend growing up, my first dance partner, my first escort to a royal ball…" My voice trailed off for a moment. "My first lover," I added on a whisper. "And he doesn't even remember."

"You said yourself he used you and left you," Adora reminded me in a hard voice. "Maybe his convenient lack of memory is a farce."

I bit my lip. The final words spoken between us—at least when it was just the two of us—hadn't been pretty. But we had never had a chance to straighten it out. It had been easy to blame him for it all, to convince myself it was all his fault, before he had shown back up and looked me in the eye.

Looking at Adora before me, I felt really, really guilty. Everything she believed about Adam was based on what I had told her. And my version had been decidedly skewed for the last nine years. Skewed with anger, self-righteousness, and guilt. Not that he didn't deserve it. If he'd loved me as he claimed, we would have been married. That's the way it works on Eternia. Once you've had sex with someone, you can ignore it, which basically means you are rejecting the person as a possible partner, or claim marriage. So I had every right to be angry with him. But that was between me and Adam. That didn't mean I should poison a potential relationship between the twins...yet I obviously had.

So, being me, I got angry again. I hated that he could make me feel so worthless without even trying, hated even more the fact that when he knew the truth of everything, he was going to reject me all over again and detest me. I heard myself agreeing with Adora that it was possible, and I suppose it was. The Adam I knew probably could pretend a memory loss to avoid his responsibilities here. He'd been irresponsible since Skeletor had shown up.

But I wasn't drinking at the moment. I knew what I was doing. I was setting Adora against her own brother, who had done nothing to her. And it was wrong. I knew I had to set things straight—at least a little. "Adora, Adam's not all bad," I finally said. "In fact, for the most part he's a good-hearted person. Don't judge him based on my history with him."

Adora's mouth opened a bit in disbelief as I spoke. When I finished she raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?" she said flatly. "Teela, I've only been here a year and I've heard about what a playboy Adam was, how he was always flirting with anything that wore a dress, and he was in and out of the palace at all sorts of strange hours." She suddenly got a far-away look on her face, like she had just thought of something else. She shook her head slightly, as if to deny the thought, and added, "I have no use for men like him. I saw enough men abuse their power and influence on Etheria. I won't stand by and watch it happen here on Eternia."

I swallowed hard. When I had poured my heart out to Adora, I hadn't realized I was placing Adam in the same category as some of the scum she had fought against on Etheria. I hadn't meant to. I just hadn't had anyone else to talk to.

"Look, Adora, I wasn't some awed peasant girl," I said, gripping my mug tightly. "I knew what I was doing. And I knew Adam my whole life. Things just sort of changed between us all of a sudden."

"When?" Adora asked skeptically.

Wow…it had been so long ago. I dropped my chin in my hand as I thought. "It was after I was captured by Skeletor," I answered slowly. "Not that it was the first time. Skeletor had captured Cringer, hoping that Adam would come after Cringer, and He-Man would come after Adam. And Adam did go to Snake Mountain. I followed him there, but lost him. I fell into a trap, and He-Man and Battle Cat rescued me." A soft smile touched my lips. "Adam was so mad at me when I got back to the palace. He was always worried about me, but for some reason that time he was upset." I shook myself out of my reverie, glancing about. "So, you want to work out?"

Adora's eyes widened. "Really?"

I couldn't blame her for her disbelief. She had been after me to get back in shape for the last year, and I always made up some excuse. I grabbed the extra flab around my abdomen. "This has got to go."

Adora looked at me suspiciously. "Are you doing this for yourself or for him?"

"Does it matter?" I asked flippantly, getting to my feet.

Adora rose as well, and crossed her arms. "Yes."

Her tone invited no argument, but I can be stubborn too. "No it doesn't," I retorted, "because I benefit either way."


	13. Chapter 12: Adam

_**Adam**_

"Adam!" The yell was delighted. I, however was not. _Amanda._ That woman had been after me since before I had the Power Sword. The fact that I knew the sound of her screechy voice without even seeing her testified to how much I disliked her. Of course I couldn't tell her I recognized her voice. She would assume I remembered her because I loved her. That was the way her mind worked.

I turned to see a rather large woman I barely recognized bearing down on me. It was Amanda, all right, but she had gained weight…. Then I realized that wasn't the case at all. She was pregnant, and unlike the glowing pregnant women I remembered from before I left, she was bloated all around. Her face, arms, and even her ankles were puffy. Still, her light brown hair was piled into a mass of curls on her head and her hazel eyes sparkled with a happiness I had never seen on her face before. She looked good in spite of the bloating. A baron whose name I couldn't recall was trailing after her, a worried look on his own slightly rounded face.

"Lady Amanda," I said, nodding politely as they approached. "Baron." He gave me a stiff nod in return, his eyes hardly leaving Amanda.

"Adam, I heard you were back and I just had to come to say hello," Amanda gushed, her voice cracking with emotion as tears began running down her face. She grabbed my hand, which was a distinct improvement over the way she used to press against me and put her mouth a breath away from mine to try to get me to kiss her.

"Well hello," I replied cheerfully, a broad grin splitting my face as it began to dawn on me that Amanda was a wife and soon-to-be mother, and wouldn't be chasing after me any longer. "And congratulations, I see."

Amanda blushed. "Thank you, Adam. I-I know I said I'd wait for you forever, but Shan'ro and I-" she pulled him alongside of her—"we fell in love. I never really understood what it was until I met him."

I opened my mouth to remind her that I had never loved her in that way, but it seemed cruel. I hesitated, unsure of how to react. I needn't have worried. Amanda kept going, just like she always had, except more kindly now.

"I remembered you tried to tell me that I was only in love with the idea of being a princess, and not with you," she said bluntly, her eyes apologetic. "I knew you didn't truly love me, not like Shan'ro and I love each other. And I knew you would have told me to go ahead and marry him if you'd been here…right?" Her voice was incredibly unsure at the end, her smile tremulous.

"Of course I would have," I agreed, trying to keep my voice positive but tempered instead of bursting with the enthusiasm I felt at the idea of having her safely married off. "You can't deny true love, and it's easy to see you've found it with the baron." I flashed him a friendly grin, and noted with some amusement that he looked as if he were going to fall over from relief. I remembered him now. We'd never quite seen eye-to-eye on things. Like a good baron, he wanted to care for those in his province. Unfortunately, with him that translated into not being able to see when the needs of other provinces had to come first.

"Oh, thank you Adam," she said, her voice screeching all over again. "I knew you'd understand."

"Come now, my dear," said Baron Shan'ro, taking her arm in a solicitous manner. "You're supposed to be in bed."

Her mission apparently accomplished, Amanda suddenly seemed to lose her energy. "Oh dear," she murmured, sagging against him. "Perhaps you're right."

"Do you need help getting her to your vehicle?" I asked, worried.

Shan'ro shook his head. "No thank you, Prince Adam. I've got her." The double meaning in his words was unmistakable.

I smirked slightly as the disappeared down the hall. "You can have her," I muttered. Slowly my smirk faded as I reflected on past confrontations with him. I could only hope our conversation had eased his mind regarding Amanda, at least. I let out a huge sigh.

"What was that sigh for?" challenged a voice from behind me. Adora came up to stand alongside me.

I didn't take my eyes off the end of the hallway. I didn't feel like looking at the condemnation in her eyes again this morning. "There go two more people whose lives have been complicated by my return," I murmured, more to myself than her. "There was never anything between me and Amanda, but she liked to think there was. I can only imagine how Baron Shan'ro feels about my return." I sighed again. "Perhaps it would have been better if I had stayed on Draedus."

"I don't think Mother and Father feel that way at all," Adora responded, her voice almost monotone.

"I suppose not," I agreed half-heartedly. But I had a feeling that the woman standing next to me, my own sister, did.

"Adam!" Turning around, I was just in time to see Ham let go of Father's hand and run straight at me. I braced myself, but he skidded to a stop just in front of me.

I forced a smile to my face as I went down to one knee. It wasn't too hard; there's something about kids that makes it easy to smile at them. "Hey Ham. I thought you were doing lessons this morning. Did Father help you escape from Man-at-Arms?"

He giggled, then his head started that nodding again, up and down, up and down. "I did have lessons but Man-at-Arms asked if I had thanked you for playing ball with me this morning and when I said no he said I had to come thank you and I asked him if I could do that right away and then Dad came in and he thought it was a good idea so we came to look for you." He beamed at me, not even out of breath from his monologue, his grin showing a slight gap in his teeth and his eyes sparkling brightly. "Thank you!" He threw his arms around me and gave me a hug for the first time.

Well that did it. I had already fallen in love with the little guy earlier that morning, but now my heart just positively melted. At least one of my new siblings was glad I was home. I hugged him back, feeling a warmth in my chest thanks to his automatic acceptance of me. "Anytime, Ham," I assured him. I grinned widely as he let go, and gave him a wink. "Unless Father has me stuck in a meeting, of course."

Ham giggled. "Dad doesn't like those meetings either," he whispered. He glanced up at Father, who was now standing right behind him. Father gave him a mock scowl, and Ham giggled again. Even Adora chuckled a little. My throat tightened as the camaraderie I had shared with Ham faded. Father had never shared that type of insight with me. I managed another smile and a low chuckle, but I suddenly felt like a stranger among my own family. My eyes involuntarily met my father's and I quickly looked away.

"Excuse me please, everyone," I said with as much cheerfulness as I could muster. "I have something I need to do." I gave Ham a squeeze on the shoulder and nodded to my father, still not meeting his gaze, and hurried away while I could still hold myself together.


	14. Chapter 13: Teela

_A/N: Thanks for all the comments and reviews! It's so nice to know y'all are enjoying this story. I hope that continues. This is a short update (short for me anyway) but better short than none...well, sometimes... And of course, no, I don't own He-Man, Adam, Teela, Duncan, etc., etc., etc. _

* * *

_**Teela**_

Well, that workout might have been a mistake. I always had a habit of pushing myself too hard, and after not doing much for a few years, my body was in no way prepared for the old routines I was once used to. I plopped down on my couch after Adora left, thankful that I had nothing else to do that day.

And then there was another knock on the door.

"It's open," I yelled, too tired to get up. I just hoped it wasn't Adam.

Father walked in with a frown. "Teela, that's very dangerous. You really should come back to the palace. You're much too easy a target out here."

It was the same lecture he gave me every time he visited. "I know, Father," I said. He was still frowning at me, and it occurred to me that I probably looked and sounded a bit like I'd been drinking. I felt a little mischievous about it. "Help yourself to something," I said, raising one arm. "I'd offer to get it for you, but I'm not sure I can stand." Okay, it was mean and probably dumb. He suddenly looked like he was going to cry.

"Teela," he said in that disappointed tone that fathers do so well.

"I'm not drunk, Father," I admitted apologetically, albeit with some amusement. "Adora and I worked out this morning, and I'm afraid I overdid it."

He stared at me. "You worked out?" His tone was one of complete disbelief, and as with Adora, I couldn't blame him. I'd been a mess for the last few years. Well, really the last nine, but it hadn't been bad until the last four or so. Once my drinking had impacted my job, I sort of spiraled downhill. I wasn't addicted or anything—okay, I was, but I'd been sober for three months now, except for yesterday. At any rate, five years ago my father had given me an ultimatum: resign or be fired. Not that it mattered. Either way I knew everyone would know the reason, or think they did. They didn't know about the anger and the guilt.

I forced that train of thought away. "Yes, I worked out," I confirmed for him, smirking slightly. I had thrown him completely. But I didn't get a chance to enjoy it, because my father wasn't one to beat around the bush, and he promptly brought up the reason he had come.

"I spoke with Adam last night." His dark eyes stared straight at me, gauging my reaction.

Everything that had felt good about working out and getting through another few hours without a drink, thinking yesterday's lapse wasn't going to become a habit again, suddenly imploded. "So?" I asked, crossing my arms belligerently.

"It doesn't take the Oracle to know that whatever has been bothering you for the last nine years involves Adam," Father said steadily. "I thought that part of your problem was the grief of dealing with the loss of both him and He-Man, but after talking to Adam, it's obvious to me I was wrong."

I shrugged and averted my face. I couldn't bear to admit what had happened. Not only because of what Father would think of me, but because of what he would think of Adam as well. He thought the two Eternian moons rose and set on Adam. I couldn't be the one to disillusion him, to prove that neither of us was as good as he thought we were.

"What did he do to anger you so, Teela?" Father asked me lowly.

"I don't want to talk about it," I replied stubbornly.

Father let the silence stand for a few minutes. A tear trickled down my cheek and I wiped at it angrily.

"I can guess."

My head whipped around to him. "I don't think so," I countered with a choked half-laugh.

Father leaned back and crossed his arms. "Let's see. We had two lifelong friends who didn't even realize the attraction brewing between them. He disappears, you get upset, and the only person you talk to is Adora, whom you don't really know, who doesn't know you, comes from a world with a different system of values, and has no expectations of what either you or Adam is like." There was a wise sadness that grew in his eyes as he spoke. His voice sounded thick as he concluded, "I can guess, Teela."

_Attraction brewing between them?_ My mouth dropped open. He had noticed it? That blew my mind. It terrified me. "Stop!" I cried. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs. "Stop," I repeated pleadingly, tears pouring down my face.

"Teela, _whatever_ happened between the two of you, I love you both and that will never change," Father said firmly, moving to sit beside me. "But this anger you have held on to, it has destroyed your life. Adam's back. As painful as it is, you need to confront him with the truth and move on. You need to reclaim your life."

"I can't," I denied, even though I knew he was right. He was right, but I couldn't stand even the thought of how Adam would look at me.

"Teela-" Father began, but I interrupted.

"You don't know what you're asking!" I cried out. I buried my face in my hands. "Please…just tell Adam to stay away from me. I can't handle this. I can't handle him." I sounded like a blubbering idiot. I hated it, but I couldn't seem to stop.

"Young lady, that is _not_ how I raised you!" Father said sharply. I looked at him out of habit; when Father spoke like that it wasn't smart to ignore him. If you did you might find yourself peeling potatoes in the kitchen for three days straight. His voice softened as he looked at me, but his tone was no less firm. "I didn't raise you to run from your problems. And that's not who you are. I don't care what Adam did to you or what you think he did to you. You are Teela, my daughter, not some simpering courtier who can't find her way to the ballroom on her own!"

I guess that was what I needed. My chin went up and I nodded with difficulty. "You're right," I whispered. "But I need some time, Father. I didn't expect him to come back anymore. Please ask Adam to wait. I can't face him yet. I don't know what to say. I'll…I'll let him know when I'm ready to see him."

Father stared at me for a long moment, then nodded. "Three days, Teela. If you haven't talked to him by then, I'm sending him to you. This isn't fair to either of you."

Three days to gather my courage. It didn't seem enough, but I nodded my agreement anyway, even though my heart felt like it was full of mud from the Tar Swamp.


	15. Chapter 14: Adam

_**Adam**_

"Three days?" I repeated to Man-at-Arms. I ran a hand through my hair and blew out a breath. I reminded myself that to Teela, I was back from the dead. Of course she needed time to adjust. After waiting nine years to find out about my past, three more days of waiting to find out why she was so furious with me should be easy. I had learned patience on Draedus. I could handle this.

I hadn't learned _that_ much patience.

Not knowing why Teela was angry with me was tearing me apart inside. I had actually eaten a quick lunch in the kitchen-and yes, I admit maybe avoiding my family at the same time-and was just on my way to the hangar, planning to see her again. Duncan had caught me and bid me stay.

"I can't do it, Duncan. I can't stand thinking she's in pain because of me," I tried to explain. "Whatever it is, I have to fix it."

"Son," he said gently, laying a hand on my arm, "I'm not sure you can fix this one."

I stared at him uncomprehendingly. Teela and I were best friends growing up. As aggravated as she got with me when I became He-Man and she began to see my act as the clumsy irresponsible prince, the idea of something truly coming between us was simply inconceivable. Then it dawned on me. "You know what happened, don't you, Duncan?"

He shook his head and dropped his hand. "Teela didn't tell me. I have my suspicions, Adam, but I won't voice them. If I'm wrong it would just cause more tension between the two of you." He shifted his gaze as someone entered the hangar. "She-Ra. Good. I want you and He-Man to go check out a rumor that Skeletor is building a dimensional gate and bringing in ships, out near the Sea of Rakash."

I stiffened and glared at Duncan, who gazed back unflinchingly. Without turning around to acknowledge She-Ra—okay, I admit it was terribly rude, and it wasn't even easy since I was curious about what she looked like—I said, "By the way, Ham told me there are all sorts of video feeds now."

Duncan understood my unspoken question immediately. "Of course. I'll give you a list of rooms that aren't wired, Adam. My workshop is one of them." He gestured off to the door behind him. "In addition, Orko, Adora, and I carry disrupters that we randomly hit once in a while. No one knows the cause of the feed disruption, so you and Adora can use it as needed without raising suspicions. I'll get you one—after you get back from the Sea of Rakash."

I nodded sharply and went off to transform, dreading this trip with every cell in my body.

* * *

Awkward. That was the only word that could come close to describing the start of that flight to Rakash.

I take that back. I can think of a few others. Cold. Distant. Uncomfortable.

We took She-Ra's steed, Swift Wind, because he was quieter and less detectable than a wind raider would be. Remember what I said about horses? I like riding on flying ones even less. At first all I could think about was Teela and all the changes in my life that had happened. But it's a long journey, nearly three hours, and so after about the first hour my thoughts shifted to this woman who was supposed to be my sister and instead acted like my enemy. I realized we were stuck with each other for another couple of hours, and it would be a good time to make another attempt at forging some sort of bond—which of course was what Duncan had hoped for. I cleared my throat, wishing we were in a wind raider.

"What was it like, growing up in the Horde?" I asked in her ear. The question caught her off-guard; I could feel her stiffen under my hands. There was a long silence, and I didn't think she was going to answer me at all.

"Harsh. Demanding." She sounded surprised, as if she hadn't meant to say the words. "I was told my parents abandoned me, and that I was fortunate Hordak had deemed me worthy to take in."

My hands tightened on her waist involuntarily, and I forced myself to relax. The idea that our parents would ever intentionally abandon any child, much less their own, made me see red. I couldn't seem to find the words to express my disgust. "I can't believe anyone would stoop so low," I finally muttered.

"I know that's not true now, of course," she said, her voice softening. "Mother and Father did all they could to find me."

I swallowed hard, thinking of the cushy life I'd had compared to what she must have gone through. "They must have been devastated," I acknowledged. "Yet somehow they never let on all those years. I had no idea someone was missing." Except for an odd loneliness and longing that had occasionally crept in at unusual moments. But I had always assumed that was because as the prince, it was hard to make true friends and be part of the crowd. Now I wondered if it had been something more.

"Well I knew you were missing," She-Ra responded in a wry tone. "Mother would smile at me, hug me, and be so happy. Then an hour later something would remind her of you and she'd begin crying." My stomach twisted at that thought. "And of course everyone constantly compared me to you."

"A lazy womanizer?" I couldn't help but ask. An odd sound came from her; I'm not sure if she was laughing or snorting in disgust. She didn't respond, so I decided to redirect the conversation. "Duncan said you were enslaved to the Horde by a spell?"

"That's right," she agreed, pain in her voice. Her hair whipped at my face, as if condemning me for having it so easy compared to her. "I was trained to be a leader in their army. I think Hordak always intended to return to Eternia and take it over."

"He wouldn't have succeeded," I growled.

"If he had the daughter of the king and queen, he might have," She-Ra countered in a slightly choked voice.

She had a point. "So I'm guessing if you were being trained and used as a pawn, then love and trust weren't concepts you learned from them," I said softly. Yet she had to learn them somewhere or She-Ra wouldn't exist.

She-Ra snorted. "Love wasn't in the vocabulary. Trust…" Her voice faded. "I thought I could trust them. Then Duncan showed up with the sword, and everything I thought I knew turned out to be a lie."

"I'm sorry, Adora," I said quietly. "I'm sorry it wasn't me that they took."

I felt more than heard her quick intake of breath, but again she didn't respond. "I can't imagine what it would have been like to go through that," I said, mentally going back to Draedus. "Somehow I always felt that I had a place to belong, even when I didn't know who I was. I never doubted someone loved me." I suddenly wanted to hug my sister, to attempt to make up for those painful years.

She shrugged. "It's the reason I was able to help Teela," she answered, her voice hard again. "You had lied to her, you betrayed her. I understood how she felt."

"I what?" My voice, usually so deep, rose up so high I almost sounded like Adam again.

"You're just like any other man," she went on as if she hadn't heard me. "Say anything to get a woman in bed, use her, then abandon her-"

"Say _what?_" I echoed, my voice even higher now. "I would _never-_"

But just as I started to voice that denial, several things happened at once. A vague thought-or maybe memory-flashed across my brain, of a tangle of legs and arms and heat. A blast from the ground below fired upwards, barely missing Swift Wind's wing, causing him to swerve abruptly. Unfortunately, my shock had loosened my grip. I lost my balance and slid off, traveling down towards the ground at a speed that threatened death.

The sensation of falling wasn't unfamiliar. But as She-Ra and I had talked, Swift Wind had slowly gained height to get over the mountains in the distance. So when I started to fall, I was over a half-mile above the ground. And there was nothing around to break my descent.

Except my sister. Swift Wind soared back around and got under me somehow. I twisted in the air and landed right in back of She-Ra as if I'd never slipped off.

"Thanks," I breathed, grateful to know that her hatred of me didn't mean she'd let me die.

"Don't mention it," she answered—not in that friendly, no-big-deal way, but in a tone that implied she _really _didn't want to acknowledge that she'd even done it. "Let's go see who decided to use us for target practice."

"Odd that they aren't shooting again," I murmured, half to myself.

"Maybe they're afraid of giving away their exact position," She-Ra answered as Swift Wind landed. He hopped, trotted, then slowed to a stop.

I dismounted and she followed suit. There was a noise off to my right, and my head whipped that way as my eyes darted back and forth. "Or maybe they just wanted us down on the ground," I countered as Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Beastman, Tri-Klops, Whiplash, and some weird-looking cowl-cloaked woman appeared, surrounding us.

Oh, it was just too perfect not to make fun of it. I drew my sword with my left hand and put my right hand over my chest. "I'm so touched, Skeletor," I said, sniffing. "You arranged a welcome-home party for me? I'm just speechless."

She-Ra tossed me a disgusted look as Skeletor scoffed at me. "Speechless is just the start of what you'll be when I'm through with you, muscle head."

"Really, bone brain, nine years and now you don't know my name?" I quipped.

"Enough of this foolishness," the red-cowled woman hissed. She began moving her hands in circles and a dark smoke appeared.

"Oh no you don't, Shadow Weaver," She-Ra declared. Evil-Lyn and Skeletor raised their hands and Trap Jaw raised his blaster—presumably all of them were planning to shoot at us.

Things happened quickly. She-Ra slapped Swift Wind on the hindquarters to send him into the air as she took a deep breath to blow away whatever Shadow Weaver was conjuring up. I blocked Skeletor's and Evil-Lyn's rays with my sword, sending one of them right into Beastman, and She-Ra blocked Trap Jaw's with a shield. I wondered briefly where that had come from, but didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it.

Whiplash's tail came around and I grabbed it, twirled him in a circle, and sent him soaring at Shadow Weaver. When I stopped spinning, I saw She-Ra was now preoccupied with Evil-Lyn and Skeletor, who had managed to capture Swift Wind…and Trap Jaw was aiming right at her back.

Rather than warn her-which would just distract her and allow Skeletor and Evil-Lyn to gain even more of an upper hand-I dove at Trap Jaw. He must have caught me out of the corner of his eye, because he shifted his laser gun at me and fired.

* * *

_A/N: I'm sorry for the cliff-hanger, really I am. I will try to update soon!_


	16. Chapter 15: Adam

_A/N: Dear "Guest": No apologies necessary. :-) I understand what you're saying about Adora, but please remember that while the story might be on chapter 15, this is only Adam's second day home. (So it's taken me a year to post about his first two days...yeah, sorry about that.) I'm afraid your patience with Adora ran out one chapter too early; perhaps the fault is mine for not posting this all at once. :-( Oh, and do remember that with it being first-person, you're getting a decidedly skewed view of things, so you're only seeing Adora's reactions and statements as interpreted by Adam._

_**Adam**_

Trap Jaw's shot caught me square in the stomach and sent me soaring me backwards. I don't know what he'd done to his lasers over the years, but it hurt like a blaze of fire.

Trap Jaw chuckled in that annoying tinny voice of his. "Want some more, He-Man?" He fired as I regained my feet.

"No thanks," I retorted, blocking it with my sword.

"Give it up, He-Man!" Skeletor cried.

I glanced over and discovered She-Ra in some sort of forcefield, standing there quietly, her shield still in hand. It didn't take much to figure out that she'd surrendered for Swift Wind's sake. I found out later that was pretty much what happened.

I smirked at him. "Make me, Skeletor. You can't tell me you want to take me down using hostages after nine years of thinking you won. Face me like a real man. If you have the guts."

Skeletor's eyes glowed red. Interesting. They'd never done that before I left. It gave a whole new meaning to the idea of punching his lights out. "I'll take you on myself, He-Fool. And Eternia will be missing its hero once more."

A sharp bark of laughter escaped me. "We'll see about that." I tossed my sword from hand to hand as he slowly approached. I was anxious to get my hands on him. I never liked fighting, but he had stolen nine years of my life—and my sister. I felt a raw protective instinct rear up at that thought, followed by a sense of surprise, but I didn't have time to make sense of either.

"Skeletor, no!" Evil-Lyn's order sounded sharp, as if she expected to be obeyed. "It's a trick!" I raised an eyebrow. Her tone implied she had gained additional leverage in the ranks over the last nine years—a theory that seemed to be proven when Skeletor stopped and the red in his eyes faded.

"You're right, Evil-Lyn," he agreed. "I will not be goaded into a fight. Surrender, He-Man, or your friends suffer."

"Friends?" I snorted, trying to buy some time so I could figure out what to do. "She-Ra can't stand me, bonehead. I'm not too fond her either at the moment."

"Well as interesting as it is to know not all you goody-goodies are best friends, my demand remains the same, you muscle-headed moron. Surrender." I caught a motion out of the corner of my eye as he spoke and my heart sank.

"Let them go and I'll surrender," I bargained, knowing he didn't have a single reason to do so. I was surrounded now; Shadow Weaver and Whiplash had recovered.

"Are you insane? We have you!" Skeletor crowed triumphantly.

"I won't surrender without a fight and I'll take a few of you with me," I bluffed. My stomach was getting worse; it was hard to resist the urge to double over. "At least let the horse go. I'd hate to see an animal like that in captivity. When he's out of sight I'll surrender."

"I have your word?" Skeletor demanded immediately. I knew then that I had him. He had had too many times of "almost" to risk losing me now. He hated me too much.

"You have my word that I'll surrender," I agreed, careful of what I agreed to. I was a man of my word, and Skeletor knew that. So no way was I going to promise to remain his prisoner indefinitely. That would be plain idiocy. Hopefully I could escape later.

"Done!" he cried. With a flash from his havoc staff, the ropes around Swift Wind disappeared; the horse reared up and flew away. I half-expected She-Ra to break loose then, but she simply watched him go. Maybe she realized that at that point, I would have to surrender even if she broke out, in order to keep my word.

"Now drop your sword," Skeletor ordered, pointing his staff at me.

I obediently dropped it and raised my hands, grinding my teeth in pain and frustration. Battle Cat would have tracked us, then gone back for help. I wasn't sure what Swift Wind was going to do in this situation, but I trusted he would figure out something. It was just extremely irritating that Skeletor was managing to gain the upper hand again, even if it was temporary.

"Bind him!" Skeletor ordered his crew. Trap Jaw and Beast Man pulled my arms down and behind my back.

"No!" She-Ra exclaimed in a horrified tone. I raised my eyebrows at her, at a loss as to why this would suddenly bother her. The answer came quickly. They placed restraints around my wrists, odd ones that pricked my wrists. Skeletor started to chuckle, and I knew I was in for it. A moment later I started to feel dizzy. I staggered a step to the side, then went down to one knee.

"I've had nine years to develop new toys, He-Man," Skeletor said, his voice sounding somewhat far-off as I collapsed completely. "This is just one of them. The cuffs drip a fast-acting poison into you. The odd part is, it reacts differently to every person. Some fall asleep. Some feel extreme pain. Others lose their strength. A few even die."

I didn't bother trying to come up with the energy to respond. Obviously I was losing my strength. At least I hoped that's all it was.

I can't really describe what happened next because I was so out of it. I heard She-Ra's voice, a sharp neigh, and the sounds of fighting. Then came a wind raider's engines. I learned later that She-Ra tried bargaining with Skeletor for a bit, giving Swift Wind time to get help. Eventually she broke through the forcefield holding her, and started fighting the lot of them. Swift Wind had met up with Duncan and a few of the Masters, and led them straight to us. There was a battle, which the Masters managed to win.

And I was completely laid out on the ground, unable to move. Eternia's "champion," tied up like an animal and lying in the dust. This homecoming just kept getting better and better.

She-Ra came to me as soon as the battle was over—at least the noise of battle had stopped. She broke the binders, but that didn't take the poison away, so I was still as weak as a kitten. I tried to raise myself up on my hands but couldn't; every muscle trembled. I couldn't even really see. She was all blurry. She put her hands on my shoulder and a warmth tingled under her hand then spread throughout my body, eventually settling on my stomach and wrists. A few moments later the wounds were gone. She helped me ease into a sitting position, then gave me a hand up. I was still shaky and weak, but I could deal with that.

"Thank you," I said, barely managing to keep from stuttering. It wasn't just her power that startled me so-it was her face. There was a sudden lack of animosity there. Feeling uncertain, I focused on her powers as she called for the shield her in hand to turn back into her sword. "Neat tricks you have up your sleeve. Anything else I should know about?"

"I can communicate with animals," she said, not meeting my gaze. I was getting more confused by the second; where was the snappish sister I'd been dealing with? "And my sword turns into pretty much whatever I want."

Well then. I felt inadequate. I had superhuman strength. She had that and as many tricks as Orko. "Wow. That's impressive," I said, for lack of anything else to say. The others began to gather around us, and I took the opportunity to turn the attention away from our strained relationship. "Duncan, how did you get here so fast?"

"It was a trap," he said grimly. "We got word that there was no gate at the same time the Sorceress sent me a telepathic message stating you two were in danger."

"Skeletor's been attacking more frequently lately, probably trying to wear us down," Stratos threw in. He grinned. "It must be frustrating for him that you're back to rejuvenate everyone."

"I bet," I replied dryly, "because I've been so much help, lying on the ground tied up and all."

Swift Wind was off to my side and he nickered in protest. "You and She-Ra would have handled them if I hadn't gotten captured."

"I appreciate the defense, Swift Wind, but Trap Jaw hit me in the stomach with that laser of his long before you were captured," I replied with a shake of my head. "I'm out of practice, I'm afraid."

"Adam said you two were on a peaceful world," Duncan supplied, giving me a chance to explain to Stratos, Buzz-Off, and Fisto.

I nodded. "I was head of security, but it was pretty much just a title. There wasn't much to do."

"Well, it was nice of Skeletor to send you on an extended vacation, instead of sending you someplace where you would be tortured for nine years," Buzz-Off said. It was always hard to tell if he was joking. His face never changed and his voice didn't vary much either.

"Not knowing who I was was torture enough," I answered softly, then mentally shook myself and grinned around at everyone. "But you're right. I might be out of practice, but I'm well-rested."

"We'd better head back," Fisto suggested. "It's getting late."

I glanced at my time-piece, surprised to see it was nearing dinner time already. I looked at She-Ra. "Can I catch a ride?"

Her eyes widened, but she nodded. "Of course." Again I could feel the sense of surprise. WIth a start, I realized it was my sister's surprise I was feeling. Our eyes met and the connection between us almost crackled. I could feel her confusion as if it were my own. Unprepared for the onslaught of emotions, I looked away and took a deep breath, trying to calm my feelings and my mind as the Sorceress had taught me long ago.

I deliberately dallied as the others flew off. Duncan threw me an appraising look before getting into the wind raider but didn't try to get me to come with him and Fisto.

She-Ra started to mount Swift Wind. It was now or never, so to speak.

"Wait," I said, grasping her arm and forcing her to turn back to me. Her earlier statements came crashing back into my mind, taking my words away for a moment. "What you said before," I managed with difficulty. "About men…you think that Teela and I…"

"Teela and Adam," she corrected quietly, the confusion plain on her own face as she stared at me. Again I had a sense of her confusion, but it was so intermingled with my own that I wasn't sure where one started and the other began.

"I-Adam would never hurt Teela," I said, more to myself than her, almost trying to convince myself. That vague memory teased me again, but I shied away from it. "And he wouldn't use a woman like…like that. I'd never do that to Teela of all people. She's like a sister to m-to Adam." My voice faltered as I met her gaze again. She knew what had happened. Teela had confided in her. If I was understanding her right…but it didn't make sense. Even if Teela and I had had a fling of some sort, I wouldn't have tossed her aside afterwards.

"I can't say anything. I shouldn't have said anything before," She-Ra said, sounding almost sorry. She reached out and grabbed my hand. "You really don't remember anything from that last month, do you?"

I shook my head. "No," I answered in a tortured whisper. It didn't take a psychologist to tell me the reason, either. More than likely, it wasn't a side effect of Skeletor's spell. If I had hurt Teela that badly, I probably just didn't want to remember.

* * *

"How are you tonight, Adam?" Mother asked as we sat down to dinner a few hours later.

"Well," I said readily, even though part of my mind still dwelled on my discussion with She-Ra earlier in the day. I stole a quick glance at Adora. She had been quiet ever since our encounter with Skeletor, and she still seemed rather contemplative. "I think I'm getting used to Eternia's gravity again."

Ham scrunched up his face. "What's gravity?"

I looked to Duncan, expecting him to answer, but he merely raised an eyebrow at me. "It's the force that holds us to the ground," I explained to Ham as best I could. "You know how when you jump up, you always go back down?" He nodded. "Gravity is what brings you back down."

"Oh." He frowned deeply. "I don't like gravity then. I want to fly."

Father chuckled. "I'm afraid you'll have to settle for flying in the wind raider, son."

"Or ask She-Ra to give you a ride on Swift Wind," I suggested. "That could be fun."

Mother raised an eyebrow. "You never used to like riding horses. Did that change?"

"Ah…" I said with a sheepish look at Adora. "No. Not really."

Adora grinned in a friendly, teasing way. "You should have told me, Adam."

I gave her a look of mock-horror. "And ruin my macho big brother image?"

She laughed. She actually laughed. And as the light-hearted banter continued around the table, for a few moments I felt such a sense of utter contentment and peace that I stopped participating just to watch and listen and take it all in. Then, to my surprise, my eyes started to well with unshed tears. I quickly grabbed my water and took a few slow sips until I settled down…only to lower my glass and find Mother staring at me with tears pouring down her own face. She looked from me to Adora, to me, to Ham, and back to me again.

"Mother?" I said uncertainly. "Are you alright?"

"I'd given up hope," she said, putting her hand to her mouth. Father reached over and squeezed her other hand. "God forgive me, I'd given up hope that we would ever be together like this, all of us."

My eyes automatically went to Teela's empty chair, and a crushing wave of sorrow hit me. Not all of us were here. Orko was missing as well, but he was back in Trolla again, not in self-imposed exile like Teela.

An idea began to form in the back of my mind. Maybe there was a way to help her.

"You seemed thoughtful towards the end of dinner," Duncan said to me as we left the dining room.

I nodded. "I was thinking about Teela," I said quietly.

Duncan seemed as if he were going to say something, but another voice interrupted us, sounding hesitant and unsure. "Adam?" It was Adora.

"Hello, Adora," I said, half-turning to include her, then facing forward as she fell into step between us.

"I…I want to apologize for the way I've been acting," she said softly.

I didn't know Adora well at that time. The fact that she was normally non-judgmental, kind, accepting, open-hearted…I had seen almost none of that up to this point. In spite of our discussion earlier in the day, and the connection between us, I hadn't expected a change in her attitude or an apology, and certainly not in front of Duncan. It was a welcome respite from all the negativity and trouble that had been occurring.

"As long as it's only been an act," I said lightly, "don't worry about it."

She looked at me, confused, as Duncan guffawed. Then she gave a small half-smile. "I hope you'll understand when you hear the truth from Teela, Adam. I'm afraid I let her anger at you color my perceptions."

I gave her a sideways glance. "Not that I don't appreciate the change of heart, but can I ask what brought it about?"

Adora shrugged slightly and self-consciously tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. "It was more than one thing. Your interactions with Ham, for one. I overheard part of your conversation with Lady Amanda. And you barely know me or Swift Wind, yet you were ready to sacrifice yourself for us," she said lowly. "I guess I needed to see something like that for myself to know that it was a real desire to protect others you were acting on, and not a self-serving egotistical power trip of some kind."

I raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by what she'd said. From the look on her face, it hadn't come out the way she'd intended either, so I figured I'd have a little fun with her. "You know people who give up their memories and move to a strange new world to go on a power trip?"

She glared at me. "You're not exactly making this any easier." I could feel her mix of exasperation and worry.

Duncan apparently decided that this would be a good time to cut in. "I think I know what Adora means. She had an image of you in her mind, a preconceived notion. What you did today didn't match it."

I chuckled. "I get it, you two, relax." I cocked my head at her as I drew to stop. "Are you...sensing my feelings?"

She took a step back, her eyes fixed on me. "Yes. You?" I nodded and smirked as her relief filled my head. "I-I have to admit that's a big part of the reason, Adam. When Skeletor had me, your concern overwhelmed me. I knew you couldn't fake that." She offered a wavering smile. "Teela tried to tell me. I'm sorry it took something so drastic to get through to me."

I smiled. "Apology accepted, Adora. I hope this means we can be friends." I held my hand out.

She grasped it, her own hand small but strong in mine. "I hope we can be more than that. I hope we can be true siblings, Adam, the way we were supposed to be."

"I'd like that," I answered honestly. The three of us started walking again, Duncan shooting us huge grins of pride that made me almost roll my eyes. "Since I have the two of you here," I went on, "I want your opinion on an idea I had…"


	17. Chapter 16: Teela

_A/N: Um...I think the only thing I can say is...I'm sorry for the long hiatus. Thank you to all who messaged me about continuing. I am hoping to get back to this somewhat more regularly now. _

* * *

_**Teela**_

My spider sense was tingling. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but Queen Marlena would say it whenever she sensed something that she shouldn't have been able to. And in looking out the window, I discovered I was right. Adam was walking up to my door. What had happened to the three days I'd asked for?

I was a little surprised because Adam's usually so respectful of people's wishes. But I also wasn't surprised. He hated unresolved conflicts. Asking him to wait three days was like asking He-Man not to fight Skeletor. It just wasn't in his nature to let things lie when he felt he was at odds with someone he cared about. A small part of me was relieved that I still fell into that category.

Yet I wasn't ready for this. I briefly debated hiding, but if two days ago was any indication, he'd just come in anyway, even if he had to break down the door. So instead I flung the door open, crossed my arms and stared at him hard. "What do you want?" I asked, my tone already defensive. I bit my lip. I hadn't meant to sound nasty, just firm. His blue eyes were so sad and apologetic I immediately wanted to take back the words and start over.

"I was hoping we could talk," he said. His tone was deliberately light and nonthreatening. I'd heard him use it with others when he was trying to negotiate difficult conflicts and I hated that he was using it with me.

"So talk," I snapped, not moving.

He kept his arms at his sides and didn't come any closer, like he was afraid to spook me. That annoyed me more. "We have a mutual issue to work on, Teela," he said, his tone still friendly. "The way I see it, we can work on it together."

My heart dropped. He knew. _He knew?_ Had he regained his memory? He couldn't have; he'd be much more upset. Had Adora told him? That seemed the most likely answer. My brain raced as my body stiffened and moved out of the doorway, silently inviting him in.

"Adam, I-" My voice didn't even sound like mine. It was broken, thick, and suddenly the words wouldn't come out at all.

"I don't have my memory back," he said abruptly, turning to face me once my door was shut. "Whatever happened between us, that's not what I'm here about."

I shook my head hard a few times, confused. "Then what are you here about?"

Adam pursed his lips a moment. "Draedus was a peaceful planet," he finally said. "Not much going on. No reason to fight, or even train to fight." He grimaced slightly. "He-Man handled the hard stuff. Truth be told, Teela, I've barely lifted a sword in nine years. My stamina and my coordination are shot. And I'm told that my old trainer is in pretty rough shape herself." His eyes raked over me from head to toe, and I suddenly felt both warm with desire and incredibly self-conscious. "So I thought maybe we could get back in shape together. No pressure from me for you to tell me what's going on, or what I did. No pressure about anything at all. Just two old friends working out together, trying to rebuild their strength and skill."

And their relationship. He didn't need to say it; I knew what he was hoping for. I stared at him for a long time, mulling over his offer. I didn't want to. At least part of me didn't. That part wanted to stay away from Adam—as far away as I could get, in fact. There was still so much anger, guilt, and fear mixed up inside.

But another part of me longed for him. Adam represented everything that was good in my life more than nine years ago. My happiest memories and my darkest moments were tied to him, irrevocably.

I didn't want to open up to him. And I knew eventually I would, if I agreed to his proposal. But even if I didn't…more than likely he'd eventually regain his memory. Ancients help me, the idea of having even a few more days with him first, pretending that everything was okay again, proved too strong a temptation.

"No questions?" I heard myself ask.

The old Adam would have teased me. But like all of us, he had changed in the last nine years. He didn't even crack a smile as he held my gaze, his eyes pure in their sincerity. "I promise," he said, his voice much less serious than his face. "I'll wait until you're ready to tell me, Teela. Or until I remember what I did to hurt you so."

I winced. I was stronger than that. It was more what I'd done than what he'd done that had destroyed my peace of mind, and sooner or later I was going to have to own up to it. But I wasn't ready to do that yet. I hesitated a minute longer, until he began to look a touch worried and hurt. My resolve to stay away from him finally broke then. "Okay," I agreed. A smile of relief lit his face up, and I couldn't help the smile that came to my own face.

This was _really_ not a good idea.

* * *

We started the next day. Our swords clanged together awkwardly at first. The weight felt odd and familiar at the same time; I had held a sword maybe five times since I had resigned from the Guard, and I was stiff and sore from my bout with Adora two days before. Yet somehow, after a few moments of warming up old muscles, it was as if our subconscious minds suddenly reminded our bodies how to wield the swords. Our motions became a bit more fluid; habitual tactics began to take over. Suddenly we were twenty years old again, the animosity gone, our bodies once more in sync with each other. It was glorious.

That peak lasted less than ten minutes.

That was all the stamina either of us seemed to have. Okay, we'd spent fifteen minutes warming up and about another ten minutes being clumsy before things started coming back to us, but we used to duel for hours. Whether Adam really was that done-in at that point or if he was just humoring me, I wasn't sure, so I glared at him as I put my hands on my knees, struggling to catch my breath. He leaned heavily on his sword, then dropped to one knee.

I raised an eyebrow at him, annoyed. He was panting even more heavily than I was. "What's with you? You haven't been an alcoholic couch potato for most of the last six years." My bluntness seemed to take him aback. He looked up at me, his eyes wide. And of course I got defensive. "What? You knew already. Don't try to pretend you didn't."

He stood and half-turned away as he sheathed his sword. "I think it's that Eternia's air is not as oxygen-rich as Draedus'," he said, reaching over his head with both hands to begin stretching. "The gravity's a little stronger here too. I've been tiring faster than I used to. Of course, I _am_ nine years older than I was the last time I sparred with you."

The fact that Adam totally ignored my lame attempt at offering a piece of my story to him aggravated me. I sheathed my own sword angrily, then bent to do my own stretches. After a moment of silence, it slowly dawned on me that he was probably full of questions he had promised not to ask. He wasn't being thoughtless; he was honoring his promise. I didn't know what to say. It'd been a long time since anyone other than the king, queen, my father, or Adora had treated me with respect. Most people treated me with pity or avoided me. Adam was the first person to reach out to me in a long time, and I was throwing it back in his face.

Of course I told myself I had my reasons. I reminded myself that he had rejected me. He had known then what we had done, what our choices were. But he didn't now. And that was my choice. He would share the burden if I let him. Of course then we'd be back to square one—angry and bitter at each other.

I blinked hard several times as tears burned at my eyes. Why had he even had to come back?

"Why?" Adam asked, his voice sounding hurt. I looked over at him as he straightened up. His face was carefully blank, but his eyes reflected the pain in his voice. "Believe me, Teela, if I'd been given a choice between remaining on Draedus in ignorant bliss and coming home where I'm not sure I'm wanted…I think I might have stayed put."

Oh gronk fur. I'd said it out loud. I've always hated it when I did that, and it just showed how off-balance Adam threw me, because it'd been years since I'd been immature enough to actually speak without thinking. Of course he wouldn't know that. My mouth was still running at will nine years ago.

He turned to go and I felt frozen for a few seconds as my mind raced over what he must have been through in the last few days. Coming home to find he had missed nine years of his life, that his parents had two other children to love, and his best friend from his childhood seemed to hate his guts….

"Adam, wait," I choked out. He stopped, but didn't turn around. I had a sneaking suspicion that he was struggling to maintain control. He'd obviously had a lot to deal with. Yet he'd still taken the time to come out here, to train with me just to try to rebuild our friendship. Part of me wanted so desperately to go to him, to touch him and hold him. I wrapped my arms around myself, the memory of our arguments seared into my mind. I never used to let fear control me. Lately it seemed to have its way with me, though. I couldn't stand the thought of his rejection again.

So I stood there like an idiot, not saying anything. The silence grew until Adam finally broke it. "Mother and Father are having a big welcome home party in a few days," he said, turning his head only enough so that I could see his profile. "It would mean a lot to me if you'd come, Teela."

I felt like this was his final attempt. I couldn't help thinking that if I turned him down, he'd give up on me like everyone else except Adora had. So, being me, I pushed. "I don't think so, Adam," I said. I even took a step back. I didn't explain that I hadn't been to the palace much, and certainly not to any functions, in the last six years.

Adam didn't say anything else; he just left.

I went back into my little cottage, tears streaming down my face. I sat slowly on the couch and leaned my head back. I wanted a drink so badly it was almost all I could think about. That and Adam. "Why did he have to come back?" I whispered to the ceiling. It had been easier when he was gone. I had just started to get my life back together, and now it was all falling apart again.


	18. Chapter 17: Adam

_A/N: So we have a couple of chapters from Adam coming up here. Sorry to all you Teela fans, but he has more to deal with right now. :-) Remember he's only been back a few days; I know the huge lapse between postings has thrown off some readers. Thank you all for the kind reviews. It's fun to read them all and know that there are a few other people out there as crazy as I am. ;-) Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

She was _not_ going to chase me away.

See, I still knew Teela better than she realized. Whatever I did to hurt her, she thought I was just going to do again when I got my memory back. So she was afraid to let me get close again. She was pushing me away, and I wasn't about to let her succeed.

But that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Knowing I'd hurt her before, and that whatever it was about was still bothering her, that caused me a deep sorrow that pierced my soul. I had to leave, even though what I really wanted to do was hold her and comfort her like we used to comfort each other when we were young.

I let the attack track take me back to the palace on auto pilot so I could think for a while. My head was starting to throb anyway, so it was nice to relax. Cringer lay in the back, sleeping contentedly. He hadn't woken up since we left the palace, except to note that we had arrived at Teela's cottage.

Almost fearfully I let my mind wander back to the memory, or vision, or flashback, or whatever it was I'd had the day before. Had it been real? Was it a memory or wishful thinking? On a whim I imagined kissing Teela, and I broke out into a cold sweat because it was all too easy to do. I had never thought of her in that way—not that I remembered. What on Eternia had changed between us in that last month? Had I started to see something more in her? I frowned. That couldn't be right. She was like a _sister_ to me. Unbidden, the thought of her red lips on mine interrupted my train of thought again, and I felt my face flush with embarrassment even though no one was around and certainly no one knew what I was thinking.

Then I wondered how I'd be able to face Duncan. Or the Sorceress. _That _centered my thoughts really quickly. I debated going to Castle Grayskull and asking the Sorceress to show me what had happened, but if Teela and I _had_ developed some sort of relationship, I didn't know if the Sorceress knew about it, and I didn't particularly want to be around her when she found out.

I groaned and leaned my head back, staring out the windshield at the blue, trouble-free sky above. "I wonder if the Sorceress could wipe out my memory and send me back to Draedus," I muttered.

"That would be most disappointing, Prince Adam," the track informed me.

I smirked. Skeletor might disagree on that one.

* * *

I hadn't had much time one-on-one with Father since I returned to Eternia, so it didn't surprise me to find him waiting on me when I got back from Teela's. The attack tracks all had homing devices in them now, so it was easy for him to know when I was returning.

"Hello, Father," I said, climbing out of the vehicle.

He stared at me for a few seconds, an odd play of emotions running over his face. "Adam," he said, his voice sounding thick. He stopped, cleared his throat, and began again. "Would you walk with me to my office?"

"Of course, Father," I said quietly. Here it came. I was nowhere around when Skeletor attacked the palace, and I had disappeared the day before to go on that useless mission with She-Ra. Not even back a week and I was disappointing him already.

His fist tightened as we turned and went down the hall, and I mentally prepared myself for the upcoming berating. I had _not_ missed this. Too bad I'd had no idea how much I should have been enjoying the reprieve.

We entered his office silently, and he shut the door, but didn't sit behind his desk. He just turned and stared at me as I stared at the lower hem of his robe, idly wishing they had changed fashions before I returned. I hate the way those robes look. I think I'll get rid of them when I'm king.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my time," Father finally said. I glanced up but couldn't hold his gaze. I looked back at his robe. "I've caused problems with members of the nobility, sentenced innocent people to jail, and when Skeletor's spell took you away, I put good men in danger by attacking Snake Mountain directly."

I finally met his eyes. His voice didn't have the lecture tone to it. I hooked a thumb through my belt loop, trying to mask my confusion, but now my eyes were fixed on him as he continued.

"All of that was nothing compared to the mistake I made of never telling you that I am proud of you," Father said hoarsely, reaching out with one hand to grasp my upper arm bracingly, "and not telling you more often that I love you."

You know, I used to be a _great_ actor. I had to be, to fool everyone into seeing a lot of differences between me and He-Man. But after nine years of just being He-Man and not having that dual identity issue, I think I lost the ability to pretend. Because after Father made that statement, my eyes got wide and my mouth dropped open so far Orko could have flown down my throat.

Father wasn't even done. "After you disappeared, people came to the palace to offer their aid in finding you. I thought they just wanted He-Man back, that you were just sort of an extra. But then I began hearing stories of a young man," he said, his gaze so full of pride I started to turn red. "A young man who put the needs of others before his own, who did not hesitate to help when and where he was needed. And I again thought they were talking about He-Man. But eventually I realized that they were talking about you, Adam."

Hm. That was interesting, considering that most of the time I had to turn tail and run to become He-Man. To be honest, my mind was blank. I couldn't think of a single person who would have told stories about-

"I'm not going to pretend to understand what secret you, your sister, He-Man and She-Ra hold," Father continued, interrupting my thoughts. I felt the blood drain from my face as I stared at him, frozen, my eyes wide. "That there is a connection is painfully obvious to your mother and me. You and He-Man disappeared at the same time, Adora and She-Ra have always come to Eternia together, and you and He-Man have returned together as well. Not to mention you and Adora are never seen with He-Man and She-Ra."

Father's gaze was sharp and somewhat amused as he took in my stricken face. "Your mother and I have decided that it's probably better, or at least safer, that we don't understand things completely. But even that small piece of understanding I do have has made me realize that I misjudged you terribly, Adam. I may not know or understand the sacrifices you have made, but I do understand that there are conflicts between the Prince of Eternia and He-Man that somehow require those sacrifices. And I am very, very proud of you for putting the needs of others above your own."

Oh, Ancients. I was at a total loss of words. Whether he knew I was He-Man, thought we somehow swapped places or that I was the only one who could summon him, or held some other idea he'd come up with didn't matter. He knew there was a connection of some kind. And if he had figured it out, it was only a matter of time before Skeletor did too. Actually, I had to remind myself that according to Duncan, Skeletor already suspected it.

"Adam, you might want to breathe," my father suggested dryly, crossing his arms as he watched me.

Startled, I did draw in a breath as my brain raced and got nowhere. "Adora," I started to ask.

"I've never said a word to your sister about what I suspect," Father interrupted, searching my face. "It wasn't necessary. I've never reprimanded her the way I did you. The guilt over how I treated you has plagued me for years."

"You were justified," I said hoarsely, raising my chin a notch. I didn't want him feeling guilty. Being He-Man was my responsibility, my burden to bear. Keeping it a secret was my choice. "I missed meetings, I was late to important events. I was clumsy, lazy, and irresponsible." A part of me wondered why I was arguing with him, as if I was trying to convince him of my uselessness.

"Were you?" Father challenged me, stepping closer and staring into my eyes. It was such an intense moment; it was like he was looking into my soul and seeing everything I ever was—every half-truth, every omission, even things I didn't know myself. "I don't want to know your secret, Adam, but I want the truth. Were you really being lazy and irresponsible?"

Notice he didn't challenge the clumsy part.

I opened my mouth to say yes. To confound him and sweep away his suspicions. But he held my gaze without flinching. I might have been able to evade answering things and put on an act to fool my parents and Teela, but I had never been very good at lying when my mother or father was looking me straight in the eye.

"No, I wasn't," I confessed roughly. Ancients help me, I wanted my father's respect, and my emotions of the last few days had swept away some of my resilience. I couldn't lie to his face.

He nodded, satisfied, then shocked me again by pulling me into a hug. Two hugs in four days from my father. My eyes burned with tears even as a half-choked laugh came from my mouth. This was just weird.

He held me for a long moment, then stepped back and turned around. His hand went up to his face; I wondered if he was wiping away a tear.

"I have just one other question," he said, turning back to me with a perfectly dry face. "Who does know about whatever secret it is you hold, Adam? I'd like to be sure I know who to trust on this."

I eyed him a bit suspiciously, reluctant to put Duncan in an awkward position. Father might be rather angry that his most trusted advisor had kept this a secret for so long.

"I already suspected Duncan, and your hesitation in answering confirms it," Father said with a half-smirk as my mouth dropped open again. I told myself he was catching me at a stressful time, otherwise he never would have been able to read me so well. It was so strange. It was as if he'd spent the last nine years studying how to know what I was thinking. I felt totally off-balance, like I was dreaming, because I was home but it felt as if nothing made sense. "You're worried about protecting him, but please don't, Adam. It has long been evident to me that Duncan held a confidence with you that he was not about to share with me." He raised an eyebrow. "Who else?"

"Orko," I admitted, my voice a bit faint. I was so shocked I could barely think straight. "That's all."

"Not Teela?" Father asked, both eyebrows going up this time.

"I wish," I muttered before I could stop myself. I closed my eyes briefly. Apparently I needed some rest. My mouth didn't normally run off without my brain like that. Maybe my brain had abandoned me when I got out of the attack track. Or maybe it was the headache that seemed determined to develop, since that faint throbbing hadn't faded yet.

"And here I had hoped her frequent irritation with you was an act," Father said sadly.

I shook my head. "Unfortunately, no, it wasn't," I answered softly.

Father reached up with one hand to stroke his brown-and-gray beard thoughtfully. I shifted uncomfortably as a silence grew between us, but held his gaze.

"Did you sleep with her?" he asked bluntly.

"Wh-what?" I stuttered. Not him too!

"If anything happened, I hope it was between you and Teela, and not He-Man and Teela," he said with a deep frown.

"I-I…" Oh Ancients. That _would_ make everything worse. But surely I hadn't been that stupid. Okay, I admit I had flirted with Teela as He-Man. I couldn't resist. I mean come on. She might have been my best friend and as close to a sister as I'd had growing up, but she was still gorgeous. And her attitude towards me as Adam got frustrating. I was human. Flirting back with her as He-Man was a small way of getting back at her. It was childish, and I regretted it now, but I never said I was perfect.

Suddenly I realized my father was still waiting for a response. I swallowed hard, reminding myself that it was me she was furious with, not He-Man. "As far as I know, nothing happened between us or between Teela and He-Man," I said, my voice not quite as firm as I had wanted. "But that last month…" I shook my head. "I don't know what happened that month, Father."

My father whirled around and went to the window, his body tense. I knitted my eyebrows together, at a loss as to why he would be so upset. "Is…is there something I should know, Father?" I asked, very quietly and very hesitantly.

He didn't turn my way. "Shortly before you disappeared, about three days beforehand, you came to me and said you had made a mistake that you wanted to set right. You wouldn't explain exactly what it was." He turned to face me, his eyes searching mine. "You said that your decision would impact the rest of your life, and the future of the kingdom, and that when you did tell me what had happened, you hoped I would support you." A faint smile touched his lips. "Oddly enough, that conversation is what set me on the path of re-examining your patterns and first made me realize there was more to you than I had thought."

I shook my head, his words feeling as if it were tickling my brain. Had I been tempted to give up being He-Man? That wouldn't make sense, not if I thought whatever I had done was a mistake. "I don't understand. What does this have to do with Teela?"

Father straightened himself and looked me square in the eye. "I insisted you tell me what was going on, but you flatly refused, Adam. You said you had to talk to Teela first. Then you got a slightly panicked look on your face, as if you had said too much, and left before I could question you further."

This was incredibly aggravating—actually, that's an understatement. The pounding my head had grown even worse. I was desperately in need of putting my fist through something. I could almost see the memory in front of me, and yet it wasn't mine. It was my father's. I took a deep breath, struggling to calm down. "You said that was three days before I disappeared. What happened after that?"

Father shook his head sadly. "You returned the next day, looking as if your world had fallen apart. Then, according to what I heard from the staff"—he flushed bright red as he admitted he'd paid attention to rumors—"you and Teela had a huge argument—about what I don't know. You didn't come to dinner that night. The next day you two seemed…distant. You were trying so hard to act normal, but your mother and I could tell something was wrong." He sighed heavily. "You know the rest."

I sort of did. And the anger that I had held tightly controlled-the spark that had ignited when I found out I had lost nine years of my life, the spark that had become a flame as I realized the friendship I had lost because Skeletor and Hordak kidnapped my sister-that anger began to burn deep inside as I understood that Skeletor might also have cost me my best friend.


	19. Chapter 18: Adam

_A/N: Because I have taken FOREVER to post this story you'll notice that I've started throwing in what day it is. I figured by now y'all probably think he's been back for two years, but it's still only been four days! I would apologize for the delay but you're probably tired of hearing me say that, so I'll shut up and let you get on with the story instead..._

* * *

**Adam**_-Day Four AR (After Returning)_

After talking with Father I really needed to clear my head. He had decided to give me a week or two to get acclimated to things again, so I was at loose ends, which I appreciated both physically and emotionally. In spite of the Sorceress' assurance that the sword had returned me to my original state, my coordination was still off, and I hadn't lied to Teela—I was definitely getting winded more easily.

Logic told me that since Grayskull's magic didn't change my brain any, my lack of coordination was due to the fact that my brain had adapted completely to being He-Man all the time, just as I had to adapt to He-Man's strength the first time I transformed. Then I had been automatically strong, but had to learn finesse. Now I had to re-learn coordination as Adam, and that I just wasn't used to being...well, normal.

Of course, it could also be because I was 28 now, not 19. I tried not to dwell on that fact too much. Being back at home, I felt 19 again. And that just added to my inner turmoil.

But even though I was tired from my sparring match with Teela, I was keyed up. I took a quick shower, then headed into the marketplace-without Cringer, who was sound asleep in the middle of my bed. Going to the marketplace might seem an odd thing to do when I needed to think, but even though I normally opted for solitude near a stream with a fishing pole in my hand, the simple, day-to-day actions of people going about their business had also soothed me when I first became He-Man. There was something about seeing the normalcy of other people's lives that strengthened my resolve to be He-Man and the Prince to the best of my abilities. When I looked at their faces, my sacrifices made sense. And I guess today I was hoping something might jog my memory. What Adora and my father were implying had happened was tearing at my mind. Yet I had promised Teela I wouldn't push her. So until I remembered things on my own, I was stuck.

The brightly colored booths of the merchants hadn't changed much, although there were some different wares, and the wood was a little more worn. A sense of familiarity did indeed begin to steal over me as I browsed a few booths, observing some standard, useful items and others that left me wondering what sane person would buy them. I nodded to a few of the folks as I went through. It was all normal and it felt good.

I didn't stop to think that the people hadn't seen their prince in over nine years.

"By the Ancients, it's Prince Adam," I heard someone whisper as I turned from one of the booths.

Things happened so quickly after that. Suddenly there seemed to be whispers all around me. People began coming up to me and bowing, grabbing my hands and pumping them hard in greeting or even kissing them. I could feel my face flush bright red, and for the first time, I actually wished my bodyguard—namely Teela—was there to handle the situation. After nine years of mainly solitude, this was a bit much to take in. Dealing with Skeletor was easier…. Well, sort of.

"Please back away from the prince," came Duncan's firm voice. "_Now."_

Something else that hadn't changed in nine years—Duncan's presence still commanded obedience. To my relief the people stepped away, eyeing him warily. He took his place next to me and glared at them.

"Thank you all for your warm welcome home," I said with a broad smile, trying to make up for his obvious annoyance. "It's good to be back on Eternia."

"Where were you?" one person called.

"On another planet, with He-Man," I responded. I went on to explain things again for the fifth time—maybe sixth, I had lost count—as the crowd around me grew. The entire street was packed. Father had of course sent out a formal announcement about my return already, but not surprisingly the people wanted more answers than what was in an official notice. I was peppered with questions for about ten minutes until Duncan broke in once more.

"I'm afraid Prince Adam has an appointment he must keep," he said loudly. "Please allow us to head back to the palace."

The people parted willingly enough, but I felt compelled to continue to shake hands as I walked. My head swam with it all. I had never felt my title so heavily before. Being the prince before had seemed so…matter-of-fact. It was just part of who I was. People occasionally had a case of hero-worship, but it was rare and I usually diffused it pretty quickly. Not to sound conceited, but I had a lot of practice doing that as He-Man. The attention I had received as Adam was a breeze to handle by comparison. But this public adoration was so…so odd.

Duncan was shooting me dark glances I barely noticed. He must have realized how distracted I was because he took me right to his workshop and shut the door. He folded his arms and regarded me steadily. "Going out into the marketplace without an escort wasn't the best idea," he observed, his voice quiet and calm.

I winced. "Sorry, Duncan. I'm just not used to being the prince anymore. And it used to not be such a big deal anyway." I didn't add that Teela had always managed to follow me, but the thought was there.

Duncan shook his head. "The people always loved you, Adam. They were almost as devastated by your disappearance as your parents were."

I could feel my eyes burning at the thought of what an entire planet had gone through when their hero and the sole heir to the throne of the most powerful country on the planet had both disappeared, and even more so at the thought of what my parents and my friends had gone through. "I wish I could change things," I said thickly.

"And go back to being an only child?" he asked abruptly. Duncan never had been one to beat around the bush with me. It was his job to keep me straight and he did it very well.

I shook my head. "No!"

"No one would blame you for feeling like that, Adam," he said. He dropped his arms and leaned back against his workbench, most likely in a conscious effort to put me at ease. "It's natural. I'm almost worried about the fact that you aren't upset about having siblings all of a sudden. It makes me wonder how you're doing with getting over the shock of losing nine years of your life and finding yourself back here with all these changes."

"There are a lot of good changes," I protested, but my voice came out a bit defensive.

"Even good changes cause stress," Duncan pointed out. He narrowed his eyes at me. "I want to know how you're doing, Adam. No dancing around it."

"I'm not a frightened teenager anymore, Man-at-Arms," I said in a low voice.

He folded his arms. "Talk."

There was a long silence—I don't mean one or two minutes. I mean almost ten minutes. Duncan, bless him, seemed to be my one constant. He hadn't gotten married, hadn't sprouted new relatives or new responsibilities, still knew my secret, and still treated me like he had before. And this pushing wasn't unusual.

When I first became He-Man, Duncan pushed me like this to force me to work through my feelings about it, to keep me from slipping into a depression. When I had been through some sort of trauma thanks to some villain setting his sights on He-Man, it was Duncan who prodded and questioned and sometimes forced me to the point of yelling or even crying as I dealt with all the horrific memories and emotions. When I felt the weight of Grayskull's responsibility and that of the throne were about to break me, it was Duncan who helped me find the strength to go on.

In this case, he knew darn well that I had just been dealing with things as they came up. I had, for the most part, sort of skipped a bunch of feelings and went right from shock to acceptance. I was okay with skipping all the mixed-up emotions in between those stages. Apparently Duncan wasn't.

"What do you want me to say?" I asked finally. I probably should have kept my mouth shut, because once it started moving, it wouldn't stop, and out came things that I didn't even know were in my head. "You want to know how I feel like He-Man and Skeletor are both inside me right now, dueling every time I see Ham or Adora? How on one hand, I'm so thankful that my parents had other children to bring them comfort, but on the other, I feel lost about my place in my own family? You want to know how I wonder about inane things like whether I'm still the heir to the throne or if Ham can someday take over being He-Man, and how a really selfish part of me doesn't want him to because he's already taken my family?"

Duncan didn't say a word. He just kept staring at me, which was just as well because I kept right on going.

"I look at Ham and my father and I realize they have a relationship my father and I haven't had in fifteen years, if ever. I'm happy for Ham. I'm sad for myself. He's a great little kid and I love him already, but being around him is just…it's just hard right now." I ran a hand through my hair.

"Teela hates me," I continued, starting to pace. "From what Adora and my father say, it sounds like I slept with her, but I don't remember it. All I know is that the person I grew up with, my best friend, hates me so much we can barely hold a civil conversation."

Now you might think at this point that I would have stopped my ranting and realized that I just admitted to Teela's father that I thought I'd slept with her, and that it apparently meant so little that I wasn't sure. However, I was too lost in my tirade to notice.

"I was so happy to be back," I said, my eyes welling with tears. Yup, Duncan had done it again. It hadn't even been hard for him this time. "But I feel like I've lost everything that was me. Skeletor has been kicking He-Man's butt, She-Ra's here to defend the kingdom and Grayskull, my parents have Adora and Ham now, Teela can't stand me and I can't even handle a ten-minute duel without tripping over my own feet and practically passing out from lack of oxygen." I stopped and silence reigned for a moment as I tried unsuccessfully to keep the tears from falling. I looked up, at least trying to stem the flow. A hand came down on my shoulder and I turned, meeting Duncan's sympathetic eye. "What am I even doing here, Duncan? What's the point?"

Duncan squeezed my shoulder hard. "You'll discover that for yourself in time, Adam."

I choked out a laugh. Same old Duncan, same old advice.

"I'm not going to try to convince you of anything," he continued in a low, soothing voice. "Everything you're feeling is normal, Adam. And I know you're going to work through all of this, because now that you've acknowledged your feelings and stopped pretending that everything is fine, you can do so."

"Thank you Dr. Duncan," I said dryly. We both chuckled. I caught his eye and gave him small smirk that faded quickly. He was right. I had avoided dealing with a lot of my feelings, just hoping they'd go away, but in my heart I knew they wouldn't if I just repressed them. "Seriously, Duncan. Thanks."

He gave a sharp nod and dropped his hand from my shoulder. "Adam, while you've been gone, Skeletor has grown in power. Getting overwhelmed by your people, who love you, is one thing. But do us all a favor and don't go anywhere outside the palace alone. Take Cringer if no one else."

I let out a sigh and pressed a hand to my forehead, trying to get the headache to subside. "I'll try Duncan. But I lived alone for nine years. Slipping back into palace life is like putting on an old shoe that got wet. It still fits, but it's not as comfortable as it once was."

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "You're an extrovert, Adam. How on Eternia did you survive living alone for so long?"

I smiled softly. "There was a child there whose father had passed away. His name was Wheedal. He and I hit it off, and we spent a lot of time together."

"And his mother?" There was an undertone of a challenge to the question, one that brought me to my senses.

In spite of his tone, I laughed because I had to. "Nothing between us, Duncan. She was just a friend—a feather-covered one with a beak."

"A bird?" Duncan asked in surprise.

"A humanoid with a bird-like head," I confirmed. "I was the only human there."

"No wonder you kept to yourself," Duncan muttered. "You must have felt incredibly alone and out of place."

"I was confused and scared at first," I answered, my mind going back to that first day on Draedus. "I had no idea who I was, where I was, what I was supposed to be doing, how old I was, where I was from…my memory was one big blank. The more I struggled against it, the more frightened I felt. I knew somewhere someone was depending on me, but I couldn't come up with who or why." I fell silent, the memory of those days, oppressed with the darkness that was my past, filling my mind.

"Do you feel you held true to who you were?"

His question caught me off-guard, but I considered it carefully. "I think I did. Skeletor's spell wiped out who I was and where I came from and everyone I knew, but it didn't wipe out…" I paused for a minute, searching for the words. "It didn't wipe out my sense of right and wrong, my integrity, my sense of duty. It didn't wipe out what made me He-Man."

"It didn't wipe out what made you Adam," Duncan corrected. I met his gaze, startled once more. He was looking at me intently. "You are honorable to the core, Adam, no matter what form you take. And that is the only reason that my fist hasn't met your face yet."

I swallowed hard, a light sweat breaking out as I recalled my words earlier as I was ranting. I took an involuntary step back. "I'm sorry, Man-at-Arms. I-"

"If you and Teela had a relationship you hid it well," he interrupted me. There was a hard glint to his eye, and his body was rigid. His armor didn't even make a single creak, he was holding himself so still and steady. I eyed the door behind him and wondered if I might be able to make it if he decided to come after me. Somehow I doubted it. I shifted my gaze back to him as he continued, "I don't know what happened, Adam, but I know you well enough to know that you would not have taken advantage of my daughter without making it right."

A flash bomb went off in my head. He was right. If Teela and I had slept together, then I would have started the proceedings for us to claim marriage by Eternian law. And out of courtesy, I would have spoken to her parents first. "But I didn't speak to you about it."

Duncan shook his head, his eyes fast on me, one corner of his mouth tucked into a smirk as I finally picked up on his hints. "No."

That left the Sorceress.


End file.
